Volume 62, Issue 36 e202303455
Research Article

Dynamic Control of Cyclic Peptide Assembly to Form Higher-Order Assemblies

Dr. Chongyang Wu

Dr. Chongyang Wu

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (equal), Methodology (lead), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Hongyue Zhang

Hongyue Zhang

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Contribution: Data curation (supporting), Formal analysis (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing - original draft (supporting)

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Nan Kong

Nan Kong

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Contribution: Data curation (supporting), Methodology (supporting)

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Bihan Wu

Bihan Wu

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Contribution: Formal analysis (supporting), Methodology (supporting)

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Xinhui Lin

Xinhui Lin

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Contribution: Methodology (supporting)

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Prof. Dr. Huaimin Wang

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Huaimin Wang

Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, No. 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China

Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310024 Zhejiang, China

Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (lead), Funding acquisition (lead), Methodology (equal), Project administration (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)

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First published: 06 July 2023
Citations: 4

Graphical Abstract

Asymmetrical cyclic peptides constructed by dynamic covalent chemistry provide a platform for the investigation of naturally occurring chirality inversion, ring-chain tautomerism, and hierarchical assembly. The insertion of a 4-imidazolidinone ring promotes the formation of intertwined nanostructures. The reversibility can be tuned by changing the pH value without producing other chemical waste except water.

Abstract

Chirality correction, asymmetry, ring-chain tautomerism and hierarchical assemblies are fundamental phenomena in nature. They are geometrically related and may impact the biological roles of a protein or other supermolecules. It is challenging to study those behaviors within an artificial system due to the complexity of displaying these features. Herein, we design an alternating D,L peptide to recreate and validate the naturally occurring chirality inversion prior to cyclization in water. The resulting asymmetrical cyclic peptide containing a 4-imidazolidinone ring provides an excellent platform to study the ring-chain tautomerism, thermostability and dynamic assembly of the nanostructures. Different from traditional cyclic D,L peptides, the formation of 4-imidazolidinone promotes the formation of intertwined nanostructures. Analysis of the nanostructures confirmed the left-handedness, representing chirality induced self-assembly. This proves that a rationally designed peptide can mimic multiple natural phenomena and could promote the development of functional biomaterials, catalysts, antibiotics, and supermolecules.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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