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Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
Published on: November 21, 2013
Sequence-encoded hexagonal lattices in multichannel peptide nanofibrils
Jasmina Gačanin1,2, Francesca Mazzotta1, Luis Andre Baptista1
1Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
Structural complexity in biological matter arises from molecular information that encodes supramolecular assembly across length scales1-3. Here we show that minimal nine-residue peptides can encode discrete lateral interaction motifs that direct supramolecular organization. These motifs generate hexagonal pores and hierarchically tile into multichannel nanofibrils with defined topology. Sequence-encoded amphiphilicity combines a cross-β-dimer, an inversion point and a trimeric junction to create complementary interfaces that couple lateral growth to axial stacking, yielding honeycomb lattices with continuous approximately 5-nm solvent-accessible nanochannels. Cryo-electron microscopy resolves the supramolecular architecture and shows that lattice symmetry and pore geometry are preserved across variants. Systematic perturbations establish sequence-structure rules linking residue position to supramolecular symmetry, lattice propagation and channel topology. Molecular dynamics simulations and vibrational spectroscopy show that the channels remain water accessible and show sequence-tunable hydration. These findings establish that a minimal, sequence-encoded interaction hierarchy can programme long-range supramolecular order, providing a general framework for how short peptides can encode complex, symmetry-defined architectures4-12.
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