Responsive gels formed by the spontaneous self-assembly of peptides into polymeric β-sheet tapes

A. Aggeli, M. Bell, N. Boden, J. N. Keen, P. F. Knowles, T. C. B. McLeish, M. Pitkeathly and S. E. Radford
Additional contact information
A. Aggeli: The University of Leeds
M. Bell: The University of Leeds
N. Boden: The University of Leeds
J. N. Keen: The University of Leeds
P. F. Knowles: The University of Leeds
T. C. B. McLeish: The University of Leeds
M. Pitkeathly: The University of Oxford
S. E. Radford: The University of Leeds

Nature, 1997, vol. 386, issue 6622, 259-262

Abstract: Abstract Molecular self-assembly is becoming an increasingly popular route to new supramolecular structures and molecular materials1–7. The inspiration for such structures is commonly derived from self-assembling systems in biology. Here we show that a biological motif, the peptide β-sheet, can be exploited in designed oligopeptides that self-assemble into polymeric tapes and with potentially useful mechanical properties. We describe the construction of oligopeptides, rationally designed or based on segments of native proteins, that aggregate in suitable solvents into long, semi-flexible β-sheet tapes. These become entangled even at low volume fractions to form gels whose viscoelastic properties can be controlled by chemical (pH) or physical (shear) influences. We suggest that it should be possible to engineer a wide range of properties in these gels by appropriate choice of the peptide primary structure.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/386259a0

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