title: Self-assembly behaviors of molecular designer functional RADA16-I peptides: influence of motifs, pH, and assembly time.
abstract: In the current study, we present three designer self-assembling peptides (SAPs) by appending RADA 16-I with epitopes IKVAV, RGD, and YIGSR, which have different net charges and amphiphilic properties at neutral pH. The self-assembly of the designer SAPs is intensively investigated as a function of pH, canion type, and assembly time. The morphologies of the designer SAPs were studied by atomic force microscope. The secondary structure was investigated by circular dichroism. The dynamic viscoelasticity of designer SAP solutions was examined during titration with different alkaline reagents. Our study indicated that both electrostatic and hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions of the motifs exhibited influences on the self-assembly, consequentially affecting the fiber morphologies and rheological properties. Moreover, NaOH induced a quicker assembly/reassembly of the designer SAPs than Tris because of its strong ionic strength. Therefore, our study gained comprehensive insight into the self-assembling mechanism as references for developing RADA 16-I-based functional SAPs.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biomaterials of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, People's Republic of China. Contributed equally to this work.
authors.forename: Yuqiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yongnu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yuyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Dongni
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Seeram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramakrishna
authors.forename: Wutian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Liumin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007477:Ions; D007700:Kinetics; D007797:Laminin / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012212:Rheology; D055672:Static Electricity; D013997:Time Factors; D055682:Viscoelastic Substances
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D007477:Ions; D007797:Laminin; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides; C546681:RADA16-I; D055682:Viscoelastic Substances; C081571:tyrosyl-isoleucyl-glycyl-seryl-arginine; C083321:isoleucyl-lysyl-valyl-alanyl-valine; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid