Designed alpha-Helical Tectons for Constructing Multicomponent Synthetic Biological Systems

Bromley, EHC; Sessions, RB; Thomson, AR; Woolfson, DN

Abstract

One possible route to develop new synthetic-biological systems is to assemble discrete nanoscale objects from programmed peptide-based building blocks. We describe an algorithm to design such blocks based on the coiled-coil protein-folding motif. The success of the algorithm is demonstrated by the production of six peptides that form three target parallel, blunted-ended heterodimers in preference to any of the other promiscuous pairings and alternate configurations, for example, homodimers, sticky-ended assemblies, and antiparallel arrangements. The peptides were (inked to promote the assembly of larger, defined nanoscale rods, thus demonstrating that targeted peptide-peptide interactions can be specified in complex mixtures.

Citation

Bromley, E., Sessions, R., Thomson, A., & Woolfson, D. (2009). Designed alpha-Helical Tectons for Constructing Multicomponent Synthetic Biological Systems. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(3), 928-930. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja804231a

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2009
• Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
• Print ISSN: 0002-7863
• Electronic ISSN: 1520-5126
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Volume: 131
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 928-930
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ja804231a
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1522406