Semiconductive and Biocompatible Nanofibrils from the Self-Assembly of Amyloid π-Conjugated Peptides

Biomacromolecules. 2023 Mar 13;24(3):1417-1431. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c01438. Epub 2023 Feb 27.

Abstract

Owing to their capacity to self-assemble into organized nanostructures, amyloid polypeptides can serve as scaffolds for the design of biocompatible semiconductive materials. Herein, symmetric and asymmetric amyloid π-conjugated peptides were prepared through condensation of perylene diimide (PDI) with a natural amyloidogenic sequence derived from the islet amyloid polypeptide. These PDI-bioconjugates assembled into long and linear nanofilaments in aqueous solution, which were characterized by a cross-β-sheet quaternary organization. Current-voltage curves exhibited a clear signature of semiconductors, whereas the cellular assays revealed cytocompatibility and potential application in fluorescence microscopy. Although the incorporation of a single amyloid peptide appeared sufficient to drive the self-assembly into organized fibrils, the incorporation of two peptide sequences at the PDI's imide positions significantly enhanced the conductivity of nanofibril-based films. Overall, this study exposes a novel strategy based on amyloidogenic peptide to guide the self-assembly of π-conjugated systems into robust, biocompatible, and optoelectronic nanofilaments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid / chemistry
  • Amyloidogenic Proteins* / chemistry
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide / chemistry
  • Nanostructures*
  • Protein Conformation, beta-Strand

Substances

  • Amyloidogenic Proteins
  • Amyloid
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide