Catalytic Activity of Peptide-Nanoparticle Conjugates Regulated by a Conformational Change

Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a catalytically active peptide-nanoparticle conjugate whose activity is regulated by a defined conformational change in the self-assembled peptide monolayer. A catalytically active peptide, designed after the heterodimeric α-helical coiled-coil principle was immobilized onto gold nanoparticles, and kinetic studies were performed according to the Michaelis-Menten model. The formed peptide monolayer at the gold nanoparticle surface accelerated p-nitrophenylacetate (pNPA) hydrolysis by 1 order of magnitude compared to the soluble peptide while exhibiting no defined secondary structure as determined by infrared (IR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Addition of the complementary peptide-induced coiled-coil formation while significantly hindering the pNPA hydrolysis catalyzed by the peptide-nanoparticle conjugate. The heptad repeat sequence of a coiled-coil opens up the opportunity for regulation of conformation and thus catalytic activity of peptide-nanoparticle conjugates upon interaction with a complementary coiled-coil sequence. Strategies of regulation of catalytic activity by interaction with a complementary cofactor/ligand are well-established in nature and are introduced here into rationally designed peptide-nanoparticle conjugates.