Design of Multicomponent Peptide Fibrils with Ordered and Programmable Compositional Patterns

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Advanced applications of biomacromolecular assemblies necessitate precise control over molecular arrangement.
• Current synthetic methods face challenges in achieving this level of control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel strategy for creating multicomponent peptide fibrils with controlled molecular patterning.
• To demonstrate the ability to manipulate local composition and peptide positions within these fibrils.

Main Methods:

• Employed a neighbor-controlled patterning strategy for peptide co-assembly.
• Designed eight peptides with regulable nearest neighbors.
• Utilized simulation to predict potential patterns and experimental validation to construct specific patterns.

Main Results:

• Achieved unprecedented control over local composition and peptide positions within fibrils.
• Simulations predicted 412 distinct patterns, and six prescribed patterns were experimentally constructed with high accuracy.
• Demonstrated the application of controlled patterning to functional elements, such as arranging carbohydrate ligands for protein recognition.

Conclusions:

• The neighbor-controlled patterning strategy offers a route to molecular editing of peptide assembly structures.
• This approach enables the design of biomaterials with unique and rich patterning-based properties.
• Paves the way for advanced material design with nanoscale precision.