Issue 6, 2013

Structure elucidation and control of cyclic peptide-derived nanotube assemblies in solution

Abstract

We describe the solution assembly of polymercyclic peptide conjugates into nanotubes, by direct in situ measurements. The conjugates were assembled by exploiting the β-sheet assembly of the alt(D,L) cyclic octapeptide core. The conjugated polymer permits solubilization of the peptide and the resulting nanotubes, thus allowing for the first time the direct study of the assembly mechanism of this system. The resulting materials present unique properties for a wide range of applications. We find that the polymer can act to both shield the peptide core from the solvent and to put strain on the peptide core through steric repulsions. By controlling both the solvent mixture and the length of the polymer, control over the length of the resulting nanotubes can be obtained. In addition, monitoring the assembly with temperature allows the strength of the assembly to be probed, adding evidence for a co-operative mechanism of assembly. Finally, selective deuteration of the polymer component in SANS analyses leads to the precise measurement of the nanotubes core dimensions, and by cross-linking the polymeric shell, the structure of the nanotubes in solution are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This study establishes the fundamentals needed for the design and control of these new materials.

Graphical abstract: Structure elucidation and control of cyclic peptide-derived nanotube assemblies in solution

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
08 Jan 2013
Accepted
03 Apr 2013
First published
05 Apr 2013
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 2581-2589

Structure elucidation and control of cyclic peptide-derived nanotube assemblies in solution

R. Chapman, M. L. Koh, G. G. Warr, K. A. Jolliffe and S. Perrier, Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 2581 DOI: 10.1039/C3SC00064H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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