ma6b01497_si_001.pdf (2.68 MB)
Microgel Surface Modification with Self-Assembling Peptides
journal contribution
posted on 2016-07-27, 14:49 authored by Kimberly C. Clarke, L. Andrew LyonWe
describe the fabrication of peptide-coated microgels, where
a fibrillizing peptide (RADA)4 self-assembles on the surface of hydrogel
microparticles. The incorporation of an anionic comonomer into the
microgel network is required for a stable colloidal dispersion to
be obtained when particles are incubated with (RADA)4, suggesting
that the assembly is dependent on Coulombic interactions. We further
demonstrate the modification of the (RADA)4 shell by preparing coassemblies
of (RADA)4 and a fluorescently labeled (RADA)4 peptide. Additionally,
the (RADA)4 shell can be modified through postassembly conjugation
of a cysteine residue or a non-natural amino acid bearing an alkyne
moiety. Fluorescence and atomic force microscopy and circular dichroism
spectroscopy were employed to characterize the assembly and modification
of the peptide shell. Finally, our attempt to utilize a different
fibrillizing peptide (Q11) in the formation of peptide-coated microgels
was unsuccessful, demonstrating that the identity of the building
blocks is important in the fabrication of these composite assemblies.