Metal Ion Controlled Self-Assembly of a Chemically Reengineered Protein Drug Studied by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

Precise control of the oligomeric state of proteins is of central importance for biological function and for the properties of biopharmaceutical drugs. Here, the self-assembly of 2,2'-bipyridine conjugated monomeric insulin analogues, induced through coordination to divalent metal ions, was studied. This protein drug system was designed to form non-native homo-oligomers through selective coordination of two divalent metal ions, Fe(II) and Zn(II), respectively. The insulin type chosen for this study is a variant designed for a reduced tendency toward native dimer formation at physiological concentrations. A small-angle X-ray scattering analysis of the bipyridine-modified insulin system confirmed an organization into a novel well-ordered structure based on insulin trimers, as induced by the addition of Fe(II). In contrast, unmodified monomeric insulin formed larger and more randomly structured assemblies upon addition of Fe(II). The addition of Zn(II), on the other hand, led to the formation of small quantities of insulin hexamers for both the bipyridine-modified and the unmodified monomeric insulin. Interestingly, the location of the bipyridine-modification significantly affects the tendency to hexamer formation as compared to the unmodified insulin. Our study shows how combining a structural study and chemical design can be used to obtain molecular understanding and control of the self-assembly of a protein drug. This knowledge may eventually be employed to develop an optimized in vivo drug release profile.     

Controlled self-assembly of re-engineered insulin by Fe(II)

Self-assembly of proteins mediated by metal ions is crucial in biological systems and a better understanding and novel strategies for its control are important. An abiotic metal ion ligand in a protein offers the prospect of control of the oligomeric state, if a selectivity over binding to the native side chains can be achieved. Insulin binds Zn(II) to form a hexamer, which is important for its storage in vivo and in drug formulations. We have re-engineered an insulin variant to control its self-assembly by covalent attachment of 2,2'-bipyridine. The use of Fe(II) provided chemoselective binding over the native site, forming a homotrimer in a reversible manner, which was easily followed by the characteristic color of the Fe(II) complex. This provided the first well-defined insulin trimer and the first insulin variant for which self-assembly can be followed visually.     

Construction of Insulin 18‐mer Nanoassemblies Driven by Coordination to Iron(II) and Zinc(II) Ions at Distinct Sites

Controlled self‐assembly (SA) of proteins offers the possibility to tune their properties or to create new materials. Herein, we present the synthesis of a modified human insulin (HI) with two distinct metal‐ion binding sites, one native, the other abiotic, enabling hierarchical SA through coordination with two different metal ions. Selective attachment of an abiotic 2,2′‐bipyridine (bipy) ligand to HI, yielding HI–bipy, enabled Zn^II‐binding hexamers to SA into trimers of hexamers, [[HI–bipy]₆]₃, driven by octahedral coordination to a Fe^II ion. The structures were studied in solution by small‐angle X‐ray scattering and on surfaces with AFM. The abiotic metal ligand had a higher affinity for Fe^II than Zn^II ions, enabling control of the hexamer formation with Zn^II and the formation of trimers of hexamers with Fe^II ions. This precise control of protein SA to give oligomers of oligomers provides nanoscale structures with potential applications in nanomedicine.     

Hydrogen-bonded assembly of methanol on Cu(111)

Investigation of methanol's surface chemistry on metals is a crucial step towards understanding the reactivity of this important chemical feedstock. Cu is a relevant metal for methanol synthesis and reforming, but due to the weak interaction of methanol with Cu, an atomic scale view of methanol's coverage-dependent ordering and self-assembly on Cu(111), the most abundant facet of most nanoparticles, has not yet been possible. Low and variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy coupled with density functional theory reveal a coverage-dependent range of highly ordered structures stabilized by two hydrogen bonds per molecule. While extended chains that resemble the hydrogen-bonded zigzag structures reported for solid methanol are an efficient way to pack methanol at higher coverages, lower surface coverages yield isolated hexamer units. These hexamers form the same number of hydrogen bonds as the chains but appear to repel one another on the surface. Annealing treatments lead to the desorption of methanol with almost no decomposition. This data serves as a useful guide to both the preferred adsorption geometries and energies of a variety of methanol structures on Cu(111) surfaces as a function of surface coverage.     

胰岛素六聚体在水溶液中的稳定性研究

用分子动力学（MD）模拟方法设计了两个模拟时间为600ps的对比计算机模拟 实验,研究了R6态的胰岛素六聚体在水溶液中的稳定性以及苯酚和锌离子对结构稳 定性的影响。通过对MD模拟所得到的轨迹的分析发现,在维系胰岛素六聚体稳定性 的因素中,静电相互作用和氢键起着主要的作用。对于包含锌离子和苯酚的体系。 胰岛素六聚体的稳定性得到了增强;对不含锌离子和苯酚的关系,胰岛素六聚体的 稳定性明显减弱,在这种情况下,胰岛素六聚体还表现出解聚的倾向。这些模拟结 果与实验观测结果相吻合。     

Supramolecular assemblies between macrocyclic porphyrin hexamers and star-shaped porphyrin arrays.

The syntheses of eight new star-shaped D(3)-symmetric arrays in which three 15-(pyrid-4-yl)porphyrin subunits are attached to the 1, 3, and 5 positions of a benzene core through linkers consisting of collinear repetitive phenylethynyl units have been carried out using Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling reactions. By the same procedure, an analogous 10-(4-pyridin-yl)porphyrin hexamer in which all positions of the benzene core are substituted has been obtained. Likewise, the preparation of suitably sized cyclic porphyrin hexamers, in which all six or at least three alternate porphyrin rings are complexed with Zn(II) ions, is described in detail. In solution, such cyclic porphyrin hexamers form supramolecular assemblies with the star-shaped polyporphyrins in which the latter are held in the interior of the macrocycle through coordination of the apical pyridine rings with the Zn(II) ions. The suggested structures are supported by (1)H NMR spectroscopic and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric measurements. They agree with the high values of the binding constants of the corresponding supramolecules, which range between K = 1.1 x 10(10) and 1.4 x10(9) M(-1).     

吡嗪衍生物在石墨表面上的自组装单层膜结构

利用扫描隧道显微镜研究了荧光液晶分子2, 5-二-[2-(3, 4-二-十二烷氧基-苯基)-乙烯基]-3, 6-二甲基吡嗪(BPDP12)在石墨表面上自组装单层膜的结构. 实验结果表明, 该化合物在石墨表面形成两种自组装结构：一种是稳定的, 分子的共轭中心相互平行, 烷基链相互交错的密排结构；另一种是不稳定的, 分子的共轭中心彼此为烷基链所分隔的非密排结构. 分子之间较强的π-π作用和分子烷基链之间的范德华作用力对分子组装的取向形成竞争, 是产生两种不同组装结构的根本原因.     

Multimerization and aggregation of native-state insulin: effect of zinc

The aggregation of insulin is complicated by the coexistence of various multimers, especially in the presence of Zn(2+). Most investigations of insulin multimerization tend to overlook aggregation kinetics, while studies of insulin aggregation generally pay little attention to multimerization. A clear understanding of the starting multimer state of insulin is necessary for the elucidation of its aggregation mechanism. In this work, the native-state aggregation of insulin as either the Zn-insulin hexamer or the Zn-free dimer was studied by turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering, at low ionic strength and pH near pI. The two states were achieved by varying the Zn(2+) content of insulin at low concentrations, in accordance with size-exclusion chromatography results and literature findings (Tantipolphan, R.; Romeijn, S.; Engelsman, J. d.; Torosantucci, R.; Rasmussen, T.; Jiskoot, W. J. Pharm. Biomed. 2010, 52, 195). The much greater aggregation rate and limiting turbidity (τ(∞)) for the Zn-insulin hexamer relative to the Zn-free dimer was explained by their different aggregation mechanisms. Sequential first-order kinetic regimes and the concentration dependence of τ(∞) for the Zn-insulin hexamer indicate a nucleation and growth mechanism, as proposed by Wang and Kurganov (Wang, K.; Kurganov, B. I. Biophys. Chem. 2003, 106, 97). The pure second-order process for the Zn-free dimer suggests isodesmic aggregation, consistent with the literature. The aggregation behavior at an intermediate Zn(2+) concentration appears to be the sum of the two processes.     

大豆分离蛋白与壳聚糖复合材料的制备

蛋白质与多糖的静电作用是生物体内一个基本医学-化学现象,是实现自组装的主要驱动力,可利用这种非共价作用设计和构筑理想的微结构。 以大豆分离蛋白(Soybean Protein Isolates,SPI)和壳聚糖(Chitosan,CS)为原料,采用浊度法考察了配比、溶液pH值、离子强度和温度对SPI与CS在溶液中相互作用的影响。 结果显示,由于pH值影响静电作用强度,从而成为影响SPI与CS相互作用的主要因素,其中,当pH值为5.5~6.6时,SPI与CS可以实现有效结合。在较低的离子强度下,有利于形成具有紧凑结构的CS/SPI聚集体,较高离子强度下聚集体发生解离。 蛋白质受热发生变性,多肽链上的疏水氨基酸残基暴露在溶液中,导致与壳聚糖链的疏水作用增强。 DLS结果显示,CS与SPI自组装形成了分布均一的纳米粒子,变性后的SPI与CS形成的纳米粒子粒径有所增大,分布均一;经戊二醛交联,粒径有所减小。 SEM显示,壳聚糖单层膜表面存在龟裂现象,与SPI形成双层膜后龟裂消失;同时,单层膜厚度约为300 nm,双层膜厚度约为500 nm。     

Exploring the ellipsoidal and core-shell geometries of copper-seamed C-alkylpyrogallol[4]arene nanocapsules in solution

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies were used to probe the stability and geometry of copper-seamed C-alkylpyrogallol[4]arene (PgC(n)Cu; n = 11, 13, 17) hexamers in solution. Novel structural features are observed at chain lengths greater than 10 in both solid and solution phase. Scattering data for the PgC(11)Cu and PgC(13)Cu in chloroform fitted as core-shell spheres with a total spherical radius of about 22.7 and 22.9 ? respectively. On the other hand, the scattering curve for the PgC(17)Cu hexamer at both 1% and 5% mass fractions in o-xylene did not fit as a discrete sphere but rather as a uniform ellipsoid. The geometric dimensions of the ellipsoid radii are 24 ? along the minor axis and 115 ? along the major axis. It is expected that an individual hexamer with heptadecyl chains would exhibit a uniform radius of ca. 24 ?. However, an approximate ratio of 1:5 between radii lengths for the minor axis and major axis is consistent with interpenetration of the heptadceyl chains of adjacent hexamers to form a single ellipsoidal assembly.     

Hydrogen-bonded self-assembly of pyridinium and anilinium bisphenols mediated by the hydrogen difluoride ion: towards control of C-H...pi (aromatic) interactions

The role of C-H...pi and C-H...O interactions in HF(2)(-)-assisted self-assembly of nitrogen-containing bisphenols are investigated. Unusual control on the end-face and edge-face geometries of aromatic C-H...pi interactions by a water molecule in the 4-[(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)methyl]pyridinium difluoride lattice is observed. The bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)(4-ammoniophenyl)methane.HF(2)(-) self-assembles through the formation of hydrogen-bonded cyclic hexamers.     

Self-assembly and liquid-crystalline properties of 5-fluoroalkylporphyrins

We report three crystal structures of a synthetic 5-fluoroalkylporphyrin molecule that was programmed for self-assembly. All the X-ray structures of zincated and free-base porphyrins Zn2 b, Zn5 a, and 2 b revealed rigorous pi-pi stacking and extremely hydrophobic interactions. Other the other hand, the strong aggregation of 5-fluoroalkylporphyrins in solution was also found. Interestingly, the regular nanopore formation of the 5-fluoroalkylporphyrin was visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Importantly, the 5-fluoroalkylporphyrins possess liquid-crystalline properties that were confirmed by using a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) techniques. By comparison, the self-assembly of non-fluorine-containing porphyrins with similar structure showed much lower aggregation ability, as investigated by NMR techniques. Additionally, no birefringent mesophase was observed for the non-fluorine-containing porphyrin.     

Dynamic Monte Carlo simulation of aggregation of nanoparticles in the presence of diblock copolymer

The aggregation of hydrophobic nanoparticles in the presence of diblock copolymers is investigated using dynamic Monte Carlo simulation on a simple cubic lattice. One nanoparticle occupies one lattice site, one block copolymer (A(m)B(m)) occupies 2m sequentially linked sites with m segments of A and m segments of B, and solvents are represented by any unoccupied sites. All of them are self-avoiding and nearest-neighbor interactions are considered. A compact big aggregate, dispersed aggregates wrapped by polymer chains, and an ordered lamellar structure are obtained by varying the concentration of copolymer. The structures are seen to be controlled by competing forces between the interaction of copolymer with nanoparticles and the self-assembly of copolymer in solution. The critical concentration of copolymer needed to form the lamellar structure, C(p,L), decreases with the chain length. It is also found that C(p,L) decreases roughly linearly with the concentration of nanoparticles C(n), which can be approximately expressed as C(p,L)=0.764-0.857C(n) when m=2. The simulation demonstrates that addition of diblock copolymer can effectively control the aggregation of nanoparticles and lead to the formation of a variety of nanostructures.     

Self-assembly of l-tryptophan on Cu(111) studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

The self-assembly of l-tryptophan on Cu(111) is investigated by an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at 4.4 K. When deposited onto the substrate at around 120 K with a coverage of 0.1 monolayer, molecular trimers, tetramers, hexamers, and chains coexist on Cu(111). Then almost all molecules self-assemble into chiral hexamers after being annealed at room temperature. When increasing molecular coverage to the full layer, a new type of chain is observed on the surface. Based on the high-resolution STM images at sub-molecular level, we suggest that the l-tryptophan molecules are present in neutral, zwitterionic or anionic states in these structures.     

Self-assembly of L-tryptophan on Cu(111) studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

The self-assembly of L-tryptophan on Cu(111) is investigated by an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at 4.4 K. A series of novel supramolecular structures have been prepared with different annealing temperatures.     

Formation of Microcages from a Collagen Mimetic Peptide via Metal-Ligand Interactions

Here, the hierarchical assembly of a collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) displaying four bipyridine moieties is described. The CMP was capable of forming triple helices followed by self-assembly into disks and domes. Treatment of these disks and domes with metal ions such as Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Co(II), and Ru(III) triggered the formation of microcages, and micron-sized cup-like structures. Mechanistic studies suggest that the formation of the microcages proceeds from the disks and domes in a metal-dependent fashion. Fluorescently-labeled dextrans were encapsulated within the cages and displayed a time-dependent release using thermal conditions.     

The crystal structure of silver carp insulin at medium resolution

It is an important way of surveying the structure-function relationship of insulin to study insulins from different species. Based on the structure model of an orthorhombic crystal obtained by the molecular replacement method, the crystallographic refinement of a hexamer of silver carp insulin in an asymmetric unit has been carried out with 2.8 A resolution data using the restrained least-squares method. The comparisons of insulin structures have shown that the six silver carp insulin molecules have very similar but not identical three-dimensional structures which are similar to the known 2 Zn pig insulin structure but remarkably different in some local conformations.     

含氟高分子基因载体

阳离子高分子被广泛应用为非病毒类基因载体,但这类高分子材料的转染效率与细胞毒性之间通常存在"恶性"关联,即获得高转染效率时往往会伴随严重的细胞毒性.如何制备兼具高效、低毒特点的高分子载体是成功实施基因治疗的关键.含氟高分子是一类具有独特理化性质的高分子,能够在低电荷密度条件下与核酸形成稳定的复合物,从而实现高效、低毒的基因转染.含氟功能基团可帮助阳离子高分子改善复合物稳定性、细胞内吞、内涵体逃逸、胞内核酸释放等多个环节,从而赋予了含氟高分子在基因递送过程中的氟效应.该专论系统地总结了含氟高分子基因载体的研究,介绍了含氟高分子的基因递送性能、作用机理以及在基因治疗、基因编辑中的应用,并对含氟高分子载体的未来发展进行了展望.     

蛋白质与高分子的自组装

蛋白质是一类具有独特三维空间结构的生物高分子,其分子内部非共价键协同作用是形成三维空间结构的重要驱动力。同时,蛋白质分子与其他高分子之间也可以通过非共价键作用实现自组装。高分子链和蛋白质的结构特征是实现自组装的关键,溶液pH值、离子强度以及温度的变化会影响它们之间非共价键作用的类型和强度。本文归纳了水溶性高分子、嵌段共聚物和多糖与球状蛋白自组装的最新研究进展,分别从分子结构特征和溶液性质等因素讨论了其对高分子与蛋白质实现自组装的影响。其中,多糖与蛋白质的非共价键作用是化学与生物科学交叉领域最为活跃的研究课题之一,通过研究蛋白质与其他高分子的非共价键作用,对于理解和认识生命过程的本质与规律具有重要的意义,同时,在材料科学、纳米技术、食品科学等相关领域具有重要的应用价值。     

Structure Elucidation of Helical Aromatic Foldamer–Protein Complexes with Large Contact Surface Areas

The development of large synthetic ligands could be useful to target the sizeable surface areas involved in protein–protein interactions. Herein, we present long helical aromatic oligoamide foldamers bearing proteinogenic side chains that cover up to 450 Ų of the human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA) surface. The foldamers are composed of aminoquinolinecarboxylic acids bearing proteinogenic side chains and of more flexible aminomethyl-pyridinecarboxylic acids that enhance helix handedness dynamics. Crystal structures of HCA-foldamer complexes were obtained with a 9- and a 14-mer both showing extensive protein–foldamer hydrophobic contacts. In addition, foldamer–foldamer interactions seem to be prevalent in the crystal packing, leading to the peculiar formation of an HCA superhelix wound around a rod of stacked foldamers. Solution studies confirm the positioning of the foldamer at the protein surface as well as a dimerization of the complexes.