3 research outputs found
Design of Compact Biomimetic Cellulose Binding Peptides as Carriers for Cellulose Catalytic Degradation
The
conversion of biomass into biofuels can reduce the strategic
vulnerability of petroleum-based systems and at the same time have
a positive effect on global climate issues. Lignocellulose is the
cheapest and most abundant source of biomass and consequently has
been widely considered as a source for liquid fuel. However, despite
ongoing efforts, cellulosic biofuels are still far from commercial
realization, one of the major bottlenecks being the hydrolysis of
cellulose into simpler sugars. Inspired by the structural and functional
modularity of cellulases used by many organisms for the breakdown
of cellulose, we propose to mimic the cellulose binding domain (CBD)
and the catalytic domain of these proteins by small molecular entities.
Multiple copies of these mimics could subsequently be tethered together
to enhance hydrolytic activity. In this work, we take the first step
toward achieving this goal by applying computational approaches to
the design of efficient, cost-effective mimetics of the CBD. The design
is based on low molecular weight peptides that are amenable to large-scale
production. We provide an optimized design of four short (i.e., ∼18
residues) peptide mimetics based on the three-dimensional structure
of a known CBD and demonstrate that some of these peptides bind cellulose
as well as or better than the full CBD. The structures of these peptides
were studied by circular dichroism and their interactions with cellulose
by solid phase NMR. Finally, we present a computational strategy for
predicting CBD/peptide–cellulose binding free energies and
demonstrate its ability to provide values in good agreement with experimental
data. Using this computational model, we have also studied the dissociation
pathway of the CBDs/peptides from the surface of cellulose
Changes to the Disordered Phase and Apatite Crystallite Morphology during Mineralization by an Acidic Mineral Binding Peptide from Osteonectin
Noncollagenous proteins regulate
the formation of the mineral constituent
in hard tissue. The mineral formed contains apatite crystals coated
by a functional disordered calcium phosphate phase. Although the crystalline
phase of bone mineral was extensively investigated, little is known
about the disordered layer’s composition and structure, and
less is known regarding the function of noncollagenous proteins in
the context of this layer. In the current study, apatite was prepared
with an acidic peptide (ON29) derived from the bone/dentin protein
osteonectin. The mineral formed comprises needle-shaped hydroxyapatite
crystals like in dentin and a stable disordered phase coating the
apatitic crystals as shown using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron
microscopy, and solid-state NMR techniques. The peptide, embedded
between the mineral particles, reduces the overall phosphate content
in the mineral formed as inferred from inductively coupled plasma
and elemental analysis results. Magnetization transfers between disordered
phase species and apatitic phase species are observed for the first
time using 2D <sup>1</sup>H–<sup>31</sup>P heteronuclear correlation
NMR measurements. The dynamics of phosphate magnetization transfers
reveal that ON29 decreases significantly the amount of water molecules
in the disordered phase and increases slightly their content at the
ordered-disordered interface. The peptide decreases hydroxyl to disordered
phosphate transfers within the surface layer but does not influence
transfer within the bulk crystalline mineral. Overall, these results
indicate that control of crystallite morphology and properties of
the inorganic component in hard tissue by biomolecules is more involved
than just direct interaction between protein functional groups and
mineral crystal faces. Subtler mechanisms such as modulation of the
disordered phase composition and structural changes at the ordered–disordered
interface may be involved
Interfacial Mineral–Peptide Properties of a Mineral Binding Peptide from Osteonectin and Bone-like Apatite
Osteonectin is a regulator of bone
mineralization. It interacts
specifically with collagen and apatite through its N-terminal domain,
inhibiting crystal growth. In this work, we investigated the interface
formed between the mineral and an acidic peptide, ON29, derived from
the protein’s apatite binding domain. The structural properties
of the peptide bound to the mineral and the mineral–peptide
interface are characterized using NMR and computational methods. A
biomaterial complex is formed by precipitation of the mineral in the
presence of the acidic peptide. The peptide gets embedded between
mineral particles, which comprise a disordered hydrated coat covering
apatite-like crystals. <sup>31</sup>P SEDRA measurements show that
the peptide does not affect the overall proximity between phosphate
ions in the mineral. {<sup>15</sup>N}<sup>13</sup>C REDOR measurements
reveal an α-turn in the center of the free peptide, which is
unchanged when it is bound to the mineral. {<sup>31</sup>P}<sup>13</sup>C REDOR and <sup>1</sup>H–<sup>13</sup>C HETCOR measurements
show that Glu/Asp carboxylates and Thr/Ala/Val side chains from ON29
are proximate to phosphate and hydroxyl groups in the mineral phases.
Predictions of ON29’s fold on and off hydroxyapatite crystal
faces using ROSETTA-surface are used to model the molecular conformation
of the peptide and its apatite-binding interface. The models constructed
without bias from experimental results are consistent with NMR measurements
and map out extensively the residues forming an interface with apatitic
crystals