Hydrogelation and self-assembly of Fmoc-tripeptides: unexpected influence of sequence on self-assembled fibril structure, and hydrogel modulus and anisotropy

Cheng, G., Castelletto, V., Moulton, C. M., Newby, G. E. and Hamley, I. W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4549-0926 (2010) Hydrogelation and self-assembly of Fmoc-tripeptides: unexpected influence of sequence on self-assembled fibril structure, and hydrogel modulus and anisotropy. Langmuir, 26 (7). pp. 4990-4998. ISSN 0743-7463 doi: 10.1021/la903678e

Abstract/Summary

The self-assembly and hydrogelation properties of two Fmoc-tripeptides [Fmoc = N-(fluorenyl-9-methoxycarbonyl)] are investigated, in borate buffer and other basic solutions. A remarkable difference in self-assembly properties is observed comparing Fmoc-VLK(Boc) with Fmoc-K(Boc)LV, both containing K protected by N(epsilon)-tert-butyloxycarbonate (Boc). In borate buffer, the former peptide forms highly anisotropic fibrils which show local alignment, and the hydrogels show flow-aligning properties. In contrast, Fmoc-K(Boc)LV forms highly branched fibrils that produce isotropic hydrogels with a much higher modulus (G' > 10(4) Pa), and lower concentration for hydrogel formation. The distinct self-assembled structures are ascribed to conformational differences, as revealed by secondary structure probes (CD, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy) and X-ray diffraction. Fmoc-VLK(Boc) forms well-defined beta-sheets with a cross-beta X-ray diffraction pattern, whereas Fmoc-KLV(Boc) forms unoriented assemblies with multiple stacked sheets. Interchange of the K and V residues when inverting the tripeptide sequence thus leads to substantial differences in self-assembled structures, suggesting a promising approach to control hydrogel properties.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/16466
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Chemistry
Publisher	American Chemical Society
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