A Comprehensive Landscape for Fibril Association Behaviors Encoded Synergistically by Saccharides and Peptides

J Am Chem Soc. 2021 May 5;143(17):6622-6633. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c01951. Epub 2021 Apr 26.

Abstract

Nature provides us a panorama of fibrils with tremendous structural polymorphism from molecular building blocks to hierarchical association behaviors. Despite recent achievements in creating artificial systems with individual building blocks through self-assembly, molecularly encoding the relationship from model building blocks to fibril association, resulting in controlled macroscopic properties, has remained an elusive goal. In this paper, by employing a designed set of glycopeptide building blocks and combining experimental and computational tools, we report a library of controlled fibril polymorphism with elucidation from molecular packing to fibril association and the related macroscopic properties. The growth of the fibril either axially or radially with right- or left-handed twisting is determined by the subtle trade-off of oligosaccharide and oligopeptide components. Meanwhile, visible evidence for the association process of double-strand fibrils has been experimentally and theoretically proposed. Finally the fibril polymorphs demonstrated significant different macroscopic properties on hydrogel formation and cellular migration control.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Hydrogels / chemistry
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Oligosaccharides / chemistry*
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Glycoproteins
  • Hydrogels
  • Oligopeptides
  • Oligosaccharides