Dynamic microfluidic control of supramolecular peptide self-assembly

Zohar A. Arnon, Andreas Vitalis, Aviad Levin, Thomas C. T. Michaels, Amedeo Caflisch, Tuomas P. J. Knowles, Lihi Adler-Abramovich () and Ehud Gazit ()
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Zohar A. Arnon: George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University
Andreas Vitalis: University of Zurich
Aviad Levin: George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University
Thomas C. T. Michaels: University of Cambridge
Amedeo Caflisch: University of Zurich
Tuomas P. J. Knowles: University of Cambridge
Lihi Adler-Abramovich: The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
Ehud Gazit: George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The dynamic nature of supramolecular polymers has a key role in their organization. Yet, the manipulation of their dimensions and polarity remains a challenge. Here, the minimalistic diphenylalanine building block was applied to demonstrate control of nano-assemblies growth and shrinkage using microfluidics. To fine-tune differential local environments, peptide nanotubes were confined by micron-scale pillars and subjected to monomer flows of various saturation levels to control assembly and disassembly. The small-volume device allows the rapid adjustment of conditions within the system. A simplified kinetic model was applied to calculate parameters of the growth mechanism. Direct real-time microscopy analysis revealed that different peptide derivatives show unidirectional or bidirectional axial dimension variation. Atomistic simulations show that unidirectional growth is dictated by the differences in the axial ends, as observed in the crystalline order of symmetry. This work lays foundations for the rational control of nano-materials dimensions for applications in biomedicine and material science.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13190

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