Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides
Published on: August 20, 2018
In Situ Transglutaminase Cross-Linking Improves Mechanical Properties of Self-Assembling Peptides for Biomedical
Maria Gessica Ciulla1, Amanda Marchini1,2, Jacopo Gazzola3
1Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
Abstract:
The development of three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials that mimic natural tissues is required for efficiently restoring physiological functions of injured tissues and organs. In the field of soft hydrogels, self-assembled peptides (SAPs) stand out as distinctive biomimetic scaffolds, offering tunable properties. They have garnered significant attention in nanomedicine due to their innate ability to self-assemble, resulting in the creation of fibrous nanostructures that closely mimic the microenvironment of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This unique feature ensures their biocompatibility and bioactivity, making them a compelling area of study over the past few decades. As they are soft hydrogels, approaches are necessary to enhance the stiffness and resilience of the SAP materials. This work shows an enzymatic strategy to selectively increase the stiffness and resiliency of functionalized SAPs using transglutaminase (TGase) type 2, an enzyme capable of triggering the formation of isopeptide bonds. To this aim, we synthesized a set of SAP sequences and characterized their cross-linking via rheological experiments, atomic force microscopy (AFM), thioflavin-T binding assay, and infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) tests. The results showed an improvement of the storage modulus of cross-linked SAPs at no cost of the maximum stress-at-failure. Further, in in vitro tests, we examined and validated the TGase capability to cross-link SAPs without hampering seeded neural stem cells (hNSCs) viability and differentiation, potentially leaving the door open for safe in situ cross-linking reactions in vivo.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Transgenic Organisms
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Transduction
Production of Pharmaceuticals

