The presentation will discuss recent work on the production of polypeptide-based nanomaterials. Three systems will be discussed: 1. self-assembling hybrid polypeptides composed of alpha- and beta-amino acid sequences; and 2. thermoresponsive gold nanoparticles functionalized with elastin-like peptides; In the first of these, polypeptides composed of alpha-amino acids were prepared by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) and short beta-amino acid sequences were attached to one chain end. The self-assembly of the resulting hybrid polypeptides was investigated by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. The effect of the beta-peptide sequence on assembly/disassembly of the peptide nanostructures was studied. In the second system, thermoresponsive ELPs consisting of the amino acids valine, proline and glycine (VPGVG) were prepared by solid phase synthesis. A strong effect of the nature of the end-group on the transition temperature (cloud point) between hydrophilic and hydrophobic was revealed. When conjugated to gold nanoparticles, this resulted in peptide-functionalized nanomaterials that responded to temperature changes under near-physiological conditions, lending themselves to applications in diagnosis and therapy.<br/> <br/>

Peptide and polypeptide hybrid nanomaterials

2019 Spring National Meeting

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