Emergence of Elastic Properties in a Minimalist Resilin-Derived Heptapeptide upon Bromination

Dr. Andrea Pizzi, Lorenzo Sori, Dr. Claudia Pigliacelli, Prof. Francesca Baldelli Bombelli, Prof. Pierangelo Metrangolo and others have recently published an article on Small about the "Emergence of Elastic Properties in a Minimalist Resilin-Derived Heptapeptide upon Bromination".

The full paper can be found at the following link: Emergence of Elastic Properties in a Minimalist Resilin-Derived Heptapeptide upon Bromination.

Abstract. Bromination is herein exploited to promote the emergence of elastic behavior in a short peptide—SDSYGAP—derived from resilin, a rubber-like protein exerting its role in the jumping and flight systems of insects. Elastic and resilient hydrogels are obtained, which also show self-healing behavior, thanks to the promoted non-covalent interactions that limit deformations and contribute to the structural recovery of the peptide-based hydrogel. In particular, halogen bonds may stabilize the β-sheet organization working as non-covalent cross-links between nearby peptide strands. Importantly, the unmodified peptide (i.e., wild type) does not show such properties. Thus, SDSY(3,5-Br)GAP is a novel minimalist peptide elastomer.

 

How to cite:
Andrea Pizzi, Lorenzo Sori, Claudia Pigliacelli, Alfonso Gautieri, Clara Andolina, Greta Bergamaschi, Alessandro Gori, Pierre Panine, Antonio Mattia Grande, Markus B. Linder, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli, Monica Soncini and Pierangelo Metrangolo, Emergence of Elastic Properties in a Minimalist Resilin-Derived Heptapeptide upon Bromination, Small, 2022, 2200807
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202200807