Hofmeister Effects on Peptide Amphiphile Nanofiber Self-Assembly. 2019

Aysenur Iscen, and George C Schatz

Self-assembled peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers have emerged as bio-inspired materials with numerous applications in nanotechnology. However, environmental variables, such as salt concentration, pH, or temperature, can greatly impact the self-assembly process. Being able to tune the electrostatic interaction and intermolecular hydrogen bonding is essential in designing stable structures. The ion-specific effects on stabilization of peptides in solution typically follow the Hofmeister series and can be used to control the strength of interaction between ions and PAs. In this study, we performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to understand how we can use Hofmeister effects to control PA nanofiber structure. Our results show that the formation of β-sheets in PA nanofibers follows a direct Hofmeister order (F- > Cl- > Br- > I-), resulting from the strong interaction of strongly hydrated ions (F-, Cl-) with the charged amino acid residues on the nanofiber surface. On the other hand, weakly hydrated ions (I-, Br-) interact more preferably with the hydrophobic residues that form the stable β-sheets in the interior of the peptide closer to the core of the nanofiber. We also found that strongly hydrated ions can induce coil to β-sheet transition in the lysine residues close to the nanofiber surface by forming salt bridges between lysine residues of neighboring PA chains. With this work, we provide insight into how the structure of PA nanofibers can be tuned using different salt solutions for developing more stable supramolecular nanofibers for future applications.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009994 Osmolar Concentration The concentration of osmotically active particles in solution expressed in terms of osmoles of solute per liter of solution. Osmolality is expressed in terms of osmoles of solute per kilogram of solvent. Ionic Strength,Osmolality,Osmolarity,Concentration, Osmolar,Concentrations, Osmolar,Ionic Strengths,Osmolalities,Osmolar Concentrations,Osmolarities,Strength, Ionic,Strengths, Ionic
D010446 Peptide Fragments Partial proteins formed by partial hydrolysis of complete proteins or generated through PROTEIN ENGINEERING techniques. Peptide Fragment,Fragment, Peptide,Fragments, Peptide
D011487 Protein Conformation The characteristic 3-dimensional shape of a protein, including the secondary, supersecondary (motifs), tertiary (domains) and quaternary structure of the peptide chain. PROTEIN STRUCTURE, QUATERNARY describes the conformation assumed by multimeric proteins (aggregates of more than one polypeptide chain). Conformation, Protein,Conformations, Protein,Protein Conformations
D055672 Static Electricity The accumulation of an electric charge on a object Electrostatic,Electrostatics,Static Charge,Charge, Static,Charges, Static,Electricity, Static,Static Charges
D056004 Molecular Dynamics Simulation A computer simulation developed to study the motion of molecules over a period of time. Molecular Dynamics Simulations,Molecular Dynamics,Dynamic, Molecular,Dynamics Simulation, Molecular,Dynamics Simulations, Molecular,Dynamics, Molecular,Molecular Dynamic,Simulation, Molecular Dynamics,Simulations, Molecular Dynamics
D057139 Nanofibers Submicron-sized fibers with diameters typically between 50 and 500 nanometers. The very small dimension of these fibers can generate a high surface area to volume ratio, which makes them potential candidates for various biomedical and other applications. Nanofiber
D057927 Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions The thermodynamic interaction between a substance and WATER. Hydrophilic Interactions,Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Interactions,Hydrophilicity,Hydrophobic Interactions,Hydrophobicity,Hydrophilic Interaction,Hydrophilicities,Hydrophobic Interaction,Hydrophobicities,Interaction, Hydrophilic,Interaction, Hydrophobic,Interactions, Hydrophilic,Interactions, Hydrophobic

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