title: Self-assembled structures from amphiphilic peptides.
abstract: Nanotechnology and its applications are strongly influenced by structures self-assembled from a variety of different materials. This review covers nanostructures, including micelles, rod-like micelles, fibers and peptide beads, self-assembled from de novo designed amphiphilic peptides. The latter are promising candidates for the development of nanoscale carrier systems because they are completely composed of amino acids. In addition to designing primary sequences, secondary structure and external parameters are also discussed with respect to their impact on self-assembly. Moreover, the assembly process itself is examined. Potential applications range from gene and drug delivery devices to diagnostics, thereby highlighting the versatility of the system.
authors.forename: Severin J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sigg
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 80, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Wolfgang P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Meier
mesh_terms: D008823:Micelles; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D008823:Micelles; D010455:Peptides