Supramolecular Virus‐Like Nanorods by Coassembly of a Triblock Polypeptide and Reversible Coordination Polymers. Issue 2 (11th November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hernandez‐Garcia, Armando; Velders, Aldrik H.; Stuart, Martien A. Cohen; de Vries, Renko; van Lent, Jan W. M.; Wang, Junyou
• Is Part Of: Chemistry. Volume 23:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 239
• Page End: 243
• Publication Date: 2016-11-11
• Subjects: coordination polymers -- hybrid nanomaterials -- polypeptides -- protein engineering -- self-assembly; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201603968
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0947-6539

Abstract

Abstract: We investigate a new case of a self‐assembly‐stimulated self‐assembly in which a triblock polypeptide is combined with a anionic coordination polymer of a dipicolinic acid bis‐ligand, and d‐ or f‐ block metal ions like Zn II or Eu III . The polypeptide not only has a silk‐like domain that can fold and stack, but also a C‐terminal cationic sequence by which it can interact with the supramolecular (coordination) polyanion. In the presence of all three ingredients (polypeptide, bis‐ligand, and metal ions), we observe the initiation and slow growth of well‐defined metal‐containing nanorods of up to 150 nm in length, proving that self‐assembly of the polypeptide is triggered by the self‐assembly of the coordination polyelectrolyte and vice versa. The particles, which have a striking resemblance to rod‐like viruses, are stable up to 1.2 m NaCl, and can be made fluorescent when lanthanides like Eu III are used, showing the potential to exploit functional properties and applications of virus‐like supramolecular structures. Abstract : Virus‐like nanorods were prepared by coassembly of a viral‐coat‐mimicking triblock polypeptide with reversible metal–ligand coordination polymers. Our study indicates that the macromolecular template (e.g., RNA or DNA) is not a necessary condition for triggering the self‐assembly of the artificial capsid polypeptide; self‐assembly also occurs when the template itself is a self‐assembling structure. This demonstrates a new case of self‐assembly and a new strategy for preparing functional protein–metal nanorods.