Liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can be manipulated to create sophisticated thermo-responsive materials. Model IDPs such as resilin-like polypeptides (RLPs) may exhibit dual phase behavior, with ionic and aromatic motifs driving upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and apolar, hydrophobic residues driving lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase behavior. RLPs enriched in select aromatic or aliphatic amino acids were recombinantly produced in bacterial expression hosts; their purity and compositions were confirmed via chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. The effect of different salts in the Hofmeister series on the phase transition and conformational behavior of the RLPs was investigated via turbidimetry and FT-IR spectroscopy, respectively. Increasing the concentration of kosmotropic salts led to formation of larger aggregates, whereas increasing concentration of chaotropic salts improved RLP solubility and led to an increase in LCST. Physicochemical modulation of RLPs can be employed to create microstructured hybrid hydrogels for biomedical applications in mechanically active tissues.

Effect of chemical environment on phase behavior of intrinsically disordered resilin-like polypeptides

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.