Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Self-Assembled Amyloid Peptides with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) Motifs As Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Self-assembled peptides gain increasing interest as biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering. Rationally designed self-assembling building blocks that carry cell adhesion motifs such as Arg-Gly–Asp (RGD) are especially attractive. We have used a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches toward such rational designs, especially focusing on modular designs that consist of a central ultrashort amphiphilic motif derived from the adenovirus fiber shaft. In this study, we rationally designed RGDSGAITIGC, a bifunctional self-assembling amyloid peptide which encompasses cell adhesion and potential cysteine-mediated functionalization properties through the incorporation of an RGD sequence motif and a cysteine residue at the N- and C- terminal end, respectively. We performed replica exchange MD simulations that suggested that the key factor determining cell adhesion is the total solvent accessibility of the RGD motif and also that the C-terminal cysteine is adequately exposed. The designer peptides self-assembled into fibers that are structurally characterized with Transmission Electron Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray fiber diffraction. Furthermore, they supported cell adhesion and proliferation of a model cell line. We consider that the current bifunctional properties of the RGDSGAITIGC fibril-forming peptide can be exploited to fabricate novel biomaterials with promising biomedical applications. Such short self-assembling peptides that are amenable to computational design offer open-ended possibilities toward multifunctional tissue engineering scaffolds of the future.

Acceptance Date Nov 9, 2016
Publication Date Jul 10, 2017
Journal ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
Print ISSN 2373-9878
Publisher American Chemical Society
Pages 1404 - 1416
DOI https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00570
Keywords self-assembly, peptides, molecular dynamics, scaffolds, cell attachment motif
Publisher URL https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00570

Downloadable Citations