A5063033654- Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
- Chemical Synthesis and Analysis
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Polydiacetylene-based materials and applications
- HIV Research and Treatment
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Photochromic and Fluorescence Chemistry
- melanin and skin pigmentation
- Protein Structure and Dynamics
- Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- RNA modifications and cancer
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Crystallization and Solubility Studies
- Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications
- X-ray Diffraction in Crystallography
- Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
- Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
- Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications
- Connective tissue disorders research
- Prion Diseases and Protein Misfolding
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
Tel Aviv University
2013-2025
City University of New York
2016-2021
The Graduate Center, CUNY
2016-2021
CUNY Advanced Science Research Center
2016-2021
Melanins are a family of heterogeneous polymeric pigments that provide ultraviolet (UV) light protection, structural support, coloration, and free radical scavenging. Formed by oxidative oligomerization catecholic small molecules, the physical properties melanins influenced covalent noncovalent disorder. We report use tyrosine-containing tripeptides as tunable precursors for pigments. In these structures, phenols presented in (supra-)molecular context dictated positions amino acids peptide...
Abstract Inspired by the role of intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in formation membraneless organelles, there is great interest developing dynamic compartments formed LLPS intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or short peptides. However, molecular mechanisms underlying biomolecular condensates have not been fully elucidated, rendering on-demand design synthetic with tailored physico-chemical functionalities a significant challenge. To address this need, here we library...
Abstract Inspired by the key role of super-helical motifs in molecular self-organization, several tandem heptad repeat peptides were used as building blocks to form well-ordered supramolecular nano-assemblies. However, need for stable helical structures limits length smallest described units three repeats. Here we describe first-ever self-assembling single module, based on ability non-coded α-aminoisobutyric acid stabilize very short conformation. A conformationally constrained peptide...
Abstract The reversible regulation of catalytic activity is a feature found in natural enzymes which not commonly observed artificial systems. Here, we fabricate an hydrolase with pH‐switchable activity, achieved by introducing histidine residue at the terminus pH‐responsive peptide. peptide exhibits conformational transition from random coil to β‐sheet changing pH acidic alkaline. self‐assembles form long fibrils hydrophobic edge and residues extending ordered array as microenvironment,...
Abstract Melanin pigments have various properties that are of technological interest including photo‐ and radiation protection, rich coloration, electronic functions. Nevertheless, laboratory‐based synthesis melanin melanin‐like materials with morphologies chemical structures specifically optimized for these applications, is currently not possible. Here, produced by enzymatic oxidation a supramolecular tripeptide in tyrosine 1D morphology demonstrated, retained during the process while...
Abstract The accumulation of metal ions in organisms and the presence heavy metals water cause adverse effects on ecosystems results numerous human health issues such as cancer neurogenerative diseases. Therefore, development novel platforms for metal‐scavenging rapid detection situ applications are high importance. Here, this challenge is tackled by taking advantage chelation ability a melanin‐inspired material combination with near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence response single‐walled carbon...
Abstract Membraneless organelles are cellular biomolecular condensates that formed by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and nucleic acids. LLPS is driven multiple weak attractive forces, including intermolecular interactions mediated aromatic amino Considering the contribution π‐electron bearing side chains to protein‐RNA LLPS, systematically study sought how composition acids affects formation heterotypic their physical properties. For this, a library minimalistic peptide...
Abstract Biomolecular condensates are condensed intracellular phases that formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins, either in the absence or presence nucleic acids. These regulate various biochemical reactions recruitment enzymes and substrates. Developments field LLPS facilitated new insights on regulation compartmentalized enzymatic reactions. Yet, influence condensate chemical composition is still poorly understood. Here, using peptides as minimalistic building blocks...
Abstract Melanin and related polyphenolic pigments are versatile functional polymers that serve diverse aesthetic protective roles across the living world. These polymeric continue to inspire development of adhesive, photonic, electronic radiation‐protective materials coatings. The properties these structures dictated by covalent non‐covalent interactions in ways that, despite progress, not fully understood. It remains a major challenge direct oxidative polymerization their precursors (amino...
Most biocatalytic processes in eukaryotic cells are regulated by subcellular microenvironments such as membrane-bound or membraneless organelles. These natural compartmentalization systems have inspired the design of synthetic compartments composed a variety building blocks. Recently, emerging field liquid–liquid phase separation has facilitated biomolecular condensates proteins and nucleic acids, with controllable properties including polarity, diffusivity, surface tension, encapsulation...
Abstract Nature utilizes both order and disorder (or controlled ) to achieve exceptional materials properties functions, while synthetic supramolecular mostly exploit just order, thus limiting the structural diversity, responsiveness consequent adaptive functions that can be accessed. Herein, we review emerging field of biomaterials where deliberately co‐exist, dynamically regulated by considering entropic enthalpic factors in design. We focus on sequence‐structure relationships govern...
Biomolecular condensates, formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), serve as dynamic platforms for biochemical regulation. Inspired by these natural systems, we developed designer peptide-based condensates to modulate chemical transformations, focusing on the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click reaction between hydrophobic reactants a model system. By incorporating varying number of isoleucine residues into peptide sequences, tuned hydrophobicity influencing rate and...
Condensates formed via liquid-liquid phase separation provide a chemically versatile environment for catalysis through dynamic molecular interactions. We present designed biomolecular condensates, by LLPS of minimalistic histidine-containing peptides, catalyzing ester hydrolysis with two distinct mechanisms. Zn2+-dependent condensates activate coordinating water molecule at the active site, Zn2+-histidine coordination, enabling nucleophilic attack. In absence Zn2+, is driven intermolecular...
Biomolecular condensates, formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), serve as dynamic platforms for biochemical regulation. Inspired by these natural systems, we developed designer peptide-based condensates to modulate chemical transformations, focusing on the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click reaction between hydrophobic reactants a model system. By incorporating varying number of isoleucine residues into peptide sequences, tuned hydrophobicity influencing rate and...
Synthetic biomolecular condensates, formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), are increasingly studied using RNA and DNA polymers as fundamental building blocks. While RNA/peptide LLPS is well characterized, the behavior of its interactions with peptides remain largely unexplored. Inspired by viral machinery that allows packaging large nucleic acid into nanometer-sized compartments—facilitated specific acid-amino interactions–we investigated how minimalistic modulate structural...
We report on the supramolecular self-assembly of tripeptides and their O-glycosylated analogues, in which carbohydrate moiety is coupled to a central serine or threonine flanked by phenylalanine residues. The substitution with introduces differential side-chain interactions, results formation aggregates different morphology. O-glycosylation decreases aggregation propensity because rebalancing π interactions. glycopeptides form reduced stiffness but increased thermal stability. Our...
The distribution of endomorphins (EM) 1 and 2 in the human brain inversely correlates with cerebral neurodegeneration Alzheimer's disease (AD), implying a protective role. These endogenous opioid peptides incorporate aromatic residues β-breaker motif, as seen several optimized inhibitors Aβ aggregation. activity native was studied, well rationally designed analogue Aib-1, which includes remarkably efficient β-breaker, α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib). In vitro GFP fusion protein assays showed...
Abstract Amyloid deposits are pathological hallmark of a large group human degenerative disorders unrelated etiologies. While accumulating evidence suggests that early oligomers may account for tissue degeneration, most detection tools do not allow the monitoring association events. Here we exploit bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis to detect and quantify dimerization three major amyloidogenic polypeptides; islet amyloid polypeptide, β‐amyloid α‐synuclein. The constructed...
The fluorescence of tyrosine-carbon dots is modulated by their partitioning and release from peptide condensates.
Viral factories are intracellular microcompartments formed by mammalian viruses in their host cells, and contain necessary machinery for viral genome replication, capsid assembly, maturation, thus serving as "factories" formation of new particles. Recent evidence suggests that these compartments liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) proteins nucleic acids present dynamic properties. In this work, inspired the remarkable functionalities factories, complexation between a minimalistic,...