Helmut Lutz

Diatom Mimics: Directing the Formation of Biosilica Nanoparticles by Controlled Folding of Lysine-Leucine Peptides

Silaffins, long chain polyamines, and other biomolecules found in diatoms are involved in the assembly of a large number of silica nanostructures under mild, ambient conditions. Nanofabrication researchers have sought to mimic the diatoms biosilica production capabilities by engineering proteins to resemble aspects of naturally occurring biomolecules. Such mimics can produce monodisperse biosilica nanospheres, but in vitro production of the variety of intricate biosilica nanostructures that compose the diatom frustule is not yet possible. In this study we demonstrate how LK peptides, composed solely of lysine (K) and leucine (L) amino acids arranged with varying hydrophobic periodicities, initiate the formation of different biosilica nanostructures in vitro. When L and K residues are arranged with a periodicity of 3.5 the α-helical form of the LK peptide produces monodisperse biosilica nanospheres. However, when the LK periodicity is changed to 3.0, corresponding to a 310 helix, the morphology of the nanoparticles changes to elongated rod-like structures. β-strand LK peptides with a periodicity of 2.0 induce wire-like silica morphologies. This study illustrates how the morphology of biosilica can be changed simply by varying the periodicity of polar and nonpolar amino acids.

The interaction with gold suppresses fiber-like conformations of the amyloid β (16–22) peptide

Inorganic surfaces and nanoparticles can accelerate or inhibit the fibrillation process of proteins and peptides, including the biomedically relevant amyloid β peptide. However, the microscopic mechanisms that determine such an effect are still poorly understood. By means of large-scale, state-of-the-art enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations, here we identify an interaction mechanism between the segments 16-22 of the amyloid β peptide, known to be fibrillogenic by itself, and the Au(111) surface in water that leads to the suppression of fiber-like conformations from the peptide conformational ensemble. Moreover, thanks to advanced simulation analysis techniques, we characterize the conformational selection vs. induced fit nature of the gold effect. Our results disclose an inhibition mechanism that is rooted in the details of the microscopic peptide-surface interaction rather than in general phenomena such as peptide sequestration from the solution.

Determination of Absolute Orientation of Protein α-Helices at Interfaces Using Phase-Resolved Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

Understanding the structure of proteins at surfaces is key in fields such as biomaterials research, biosensor design, membrane biophysics, and drug design. A particularly important factor is the orientation of proteins when bound to a particular surface. The orientation of the active site of enzymes or protein sensors and the availability of binding pockets within membrane proteins are important design parameters for engineers developing new sensors, surfaces, and drugs. Recently developed methods to probe protein orientation, including immunoessays and mass spectrometry, either lack structural resolution or require harsh experimental conditions. We here report a new method to track the absolute orientation of interfacial proteins using phase-resolved sum frequency generation spectroscopy in combination with molecular dynamics simulations and theoretical spectral calculations. As a model system we have determined the orientation of a helical lysine-leucine peptide at the air-water interface. The data show that the absolute orientation of the helix can be reliably determined even for orientations almost parallel to the surface.

The Structure of the Diatom Silaffin Peptide R5 within Freestanding Two-Dimensional Biosilica Sheets

The silaffin peptide R5 is instrumental to the mineralization of silica cell walls of diatom organisms. The peptide is also widely employed in biotechnology, for example, in the encapsulation of enzymes and for fusion proteins in tissue regeneration. Despite its scientific and technological importance, the interfacial structure of R5 during silica precipitation remains poorly understood. We herein elucidate the conformation of the peptide in its active form within silica sheets by interface-specific vibrational spectroscopy in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. Contrary to previous solution-state NMR studies, our data confirm that R5 maintains a defined structure when interacting with extended silica sheets. We show that the entire amino acid sequence of R5 interacts with silica during silica formation, leading to the intercalation of silica into the assembled peptide film.

LK peptide side chain dynamics at interfaces are independent of secondary structure

Protein side chain dynamics are critical for specific protein binding to surfaces and protein-driven surface manipulation. At the same time, it is highly challenging to probe side chain motions specifically at interfaces. One important open question is the degree to which the motions of side chains are dictated by local protein folding or by interactions with the surface. Here, we present a real-time measurement of the orientational dynamics of leucine side chains within leucine-lysine (LK) model peptides at the water-air interface, with three representative peptide folds: α-helix, 310-helix and β-strand. The results, modeled and supported by molecular dynamics simulations, show that the different peptide folds exhibit remarkably similar sub-picosecond orientational side chain dynamics at the air/water interface. This demonstrates that the side chain motional dynamics is decoupled from the local secondary structure.

Saturation of charge-induced water alignment at model membrane surfaces

Interfacial water alignment at charged membranes saturates via two different mechanisms upon increasing the charge density. The electrical charge of biological membranes and thus the resulting alignment of water molecules in response to this charge are important factors affecting membrane rigidity, transport, and reactivity. We tune the surface charge density by varying lipid composition and investigate the charge-induced alignment of water molecules using surface-specific vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. At low charge densities, the alignment of water increases proportionally to the charge. However, already at moderate, physiologically relevant charge densities, water alignment starts to saturate despite the increase in the nominal surface charge. The saturation occurs in both the Stern layer, directly at the surface, and in the diffuse layer, yet for distinctly different reasons. Our results show that the soft nature of the lipid interface allows for a marked reduction of the surface potential at high surface charge density via both interfacial molecular rearrangement and permeation of monovalent ions into the interface.

Acetylation dictates the morphology of nanophase biosilica precipitated by a 14‐amino acid leucine–lysine peptide

N‐terminal acetylation is a commonly used modification technique for synthetic peptides, mostly applied for reasons of enhanced stability, and in many cases regarded as inconsequential. In engineered biosilification – the controlled deposition of silica for nanotechnology applications by designed peptides – charged groups often play a deciding role. Here we report that changing the charge by acetylation of a 14‐amino acid leucine–lysine (LK) peptide dramatically changes the morphology of precipitated biosilica; acetylated LK peptides produce nano‐spheres, whereas nano‐wires are precipitated by the same peptide in a non‐acetylated form. By using interface‐specific vibrational spectroscopy and coarse‐grained molecular simulations, we show that this change in morphology is not the result of modified peptide–silica interactions, but rather caused by the stabilization of the hydrophobic core of peptide aggregates created by the removal of a peptide charge upon acetylation. These results should raise awareness of the potential impact of N‐terminal modifications in peptide applications. Copyright