Self-assembly of phosphorylated peptide driven by Dy3+

Hang Yang, Yuting Xiong, Minmin Li, Zhiying Yang, Peiran Meng, and Guangyan Qing*

Chin. Chem. Lett. 2022, DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2022.108106.

Nature chooses phosphorylation as a key modification to modulate and program the functions of proteins. Various phosphorylated peptides (PPs) have been widely identified and investigated by biologists, but the possibility that PPs could become a building unit for artificial materials is neglected. Here we report for the first time a supramolecular assembly of PPs with the assistance of dysprosium ions (Dy3+). Dy3+ bridges multiple phosphate groups in double-phosphorylated peptides (di-PPs), and braid these peptide chains into nanofibers. The assembly occurs inside nanochannels and blocks the channels, leading to prominent “ON–OFF” switching in transmembrane ionic current. The di-PPs’ assembling process could be dynamically regulated by the addition or deletion of phosphate groups under the control of kinases or phosphatases. This study proves the huge potential of PPs being utilized as materials via self-assembling, which will promote the design of novel bio-inspired artificial materials and devices.