Reversible stiffening transition in beta-hairpin hydrogels induced by ion complexation

We have previously shown that properly designed lysine and valine-rich peptides undergo a random coil to beta-hairpin transition followed by intermolecular self-assembly into a fibrillar hydrogel network only after the peptide solutions are heated above the intramolecular folding transition temperature. Here we report that these hydrogels also undergo a stiffening transition as they are cooled below a critical temperature only when boric acid is used to buffer the peptide solution. This stiffening transition is characterized by rheology, dynamic light scattering, and small angle neutron scattering. Rheological measurements show that the stiffening transition causes an increase in the hydrogel storage modulus (G') by as much as 1 order of magnitude and is completely reversible on subsequently raising the temperature. Although this reversible transition exhibits rheological properties that are similar to polyol/borax solutions, the underlying mechanism does not involve hydroxyl-borate complexation. The stiffening transition is mainly caused by the interactions between lysine and boric acid/borate anion and is not driven by the changes in the secondary structure of the beta-hairpin peptide. Addition of glucose to boric acid and peptide solution disrupts the stiffening transition due to competitive glucose-borate complexation.