Tuning the autophagy-inducing activity of lanthanide-based nanocrystals through specific surface-coating peptides.
The induction of autophagy on exposure of cells to a variety of nanoparticles represents both a safety concern and an application niche for engineered nanomaterials. Here, we show that a short synthetic peptide, RE-1, identified by means of phage display, binds to lanthanide (LN) oxide and upconversion nanocrystals (UCN), forms a stable coating layer on the nanoparticles' surface, and effectively abrogates their autophagy-inducing activity. Furthermore, RE-1 peptide variants exhibit a differentially reduced binding capability, and correspondingly, a varied ability to reduce the autophagic response. We also show that the addition of an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif to RE-1 enhances autophagy for LN UCN through the interaction with integrins. RE-1 and its variants provide a versatile tool for tuning material-cell interactions to achieve the desired level of autophagy, and may prove useful for the various diagnostic and therapeutic applications of LN-based nanomaterials and nanodevices.
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
Yunjiao
Y
Zhang
Fang
F
Zheng
Tianlong
T
Yang
Wei
W
Zhou
Yun
Y
Liu
Na
N
Man
Li
L
Zhang
Nan
N
Jin
Qingqing
Q
Dou
Yong
Y
Zhang
Zhengquan
Z
Li
Long-Ping
LP
Wen
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D019151:Peptide Library; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements; D010087:Oxides; D019151:Peptide Library; D010455:Peptides