pH-Controlled Chiral Packing and Self-Assembly of a Coumarin Tetrapeptide

Langmuir. 2019 Sep 24;35(38):12460-12468. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01939. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Abstract

A coumarin-tetrapeptide conjugate, EFEK(DAC)-NH2 (1), is reported to undergo a pH-dependent interconversion between nanotubes and nanoribbons. An examination of zeta potential measurements, circular dichroism (CD) spectra, and microscopy imaging (transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy) identified three different self-assembly regimes based on pH: (1) pH 2-5, positively charged, left-handed helical nanotubes; (2) pH 6-8, negatively charged, right-handed helical nanoribbons; and (3) pH ≥ 9.0, a monomeric/disassembled peptide. The nanotubes exhibited uniform diameters of 41 ± 5 nm and wall thicknesses of 4.8 ± 0.8 nm, whereas the nanoribbons existed as either flat or twisted sheets ranging in width from 11 to 60 nm with heights of 8 ± 1 nm. The UV-vis and CD spectra of the most common antiparallel, β-sheet conformation of 1-dimer were simulated at the B3LYP/def2svpd level of theory in implicit water. These studies indicated that the transition from nanotubes to nanoribbons was coupled to an M → P helical inversion of the coumarin packing orientation, respectively, within the nanostructures. The assembly process was driven by β-sheet aggregation and π-π interactions, leading to the formation of nanoribbons, which progressively wound into helical ribbons and laterally grew into smooth nanotubes as the pH decreased.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Coumarins / chemistry*
  • Density Functional Theory
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanotubes / chemistry
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Coumarins
  • Nanotubes, Carbon
  • Oligopeptides