Electrical Conductivity, Selective Adhesion, and Biocompatibility in Bacteria-Inspired Peptide-Metal Self-Supporting Nanocomposites.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial type IV pili (T4P) are polymeric protein nanofibers that have diverse biological roles. Their unique physicochemical properties mark them as a candidate biomaterial for various applications, yet difficulties in producing native T4P hinder their utilization. Recent effort to mimic the T4P of the metal-reducing Geobacter sulfurreducens bacterium led to the design of synthetic peptide building blocks, which self-assemble into T4P-like nanofibers. Here, it is reported that the T4P-like peptide nanofibers efficiently bind metal oxide particles and reduce Au ions analogously to their native counterparts, and thus give rise to versatile and multifunctional peptide-metal nanocomposites. Focusing on the interaction with Au ions, a combination of experimental and computational methods prov

SUBMITTER: Guterman T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7616941 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature