Modular Design for Proteins Assembling into Antifouling Coatings: Case of Gold Surfaces

Langmuir. 2023 Jul 11;39(27):9290-9299. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00389. Epub 2023 Jun 27.

Abstract

We analyze modularity for a B-M-E triblock protein designed to self-assemble into antifouling coatings. Previously, we have shown that the design performs well on silica surfaces when B is taken to be a silica-binding peptide, M is a thermostable trimer domain, and E is the uncharged elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), E = (GSGVP)40. Here, we demonstrate that we can modulate the nature of the substrate on which the coatings form by choosing different solid-binding peptides as binding domain B and that we can modulate antifouling properties by choosing a different hydrophilic block E. Specifically, to arrive at antifouling coatings for gold surfaces, as binding block B we use the gold-binding peptide GBP1 (with the sequence MHGKTQATSGTIQS), while we replace the antifouling blocks E by zwitterionic ELPs of different lengths, EZn = (GDGVP-GKGVP)n/2, with n = 20, 40, or 80. We find that even the B-M-E proteins with the shortest E blocks make coatings on gold surfaces with excellent antifouling against 1% human serum (HS) and reasonable antifouling against 10% HS. This suggests that the B-M-E triblock protein can be easily adapted to form antifouling coatings on any substrate for which solid-binding peptide sequences are available.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Biofouling* / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide

Substances

  • Peptides
  • Silicon Dioxide