Bioinspired Histidine⁻Zn2+ Coordination for Tuning the Mechanical Properties of Self-Healing Coiled Coil Cross-Linked Hydrogels.

ABSTRACT: Natural biopolymeric materials often possess properties superior to their individual components. In mussel byssus, reversible histidine (His)-metal coordination is a key feature, which mediates higher-order self-assembly as well as self-healing. The byssus structure, thus, serves as an excellent natural blueprint for the development of self-healing biomimetic materials with reversibly tunable mechanical properties. Inspired by byssal threads, we bioengineered His-metal coordination sites into a heterodimeric coiled coil (CC). These CC-forming peptides serve as a noncovalent cross-link for poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels and participate in the formation of higher-order assemblies via intermolecular His-metal coordination as a second cross-linking mode. Raman and circular dichroism spe

SUBMITTER: Tunn I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6477626 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature