Nano-structured antibiofilm coatings based on recombinant resilin.

The applications of responsive biomaterials for tuning cell-surface interactions have been recently explored due to their unique switchable characteristics. However, rational design of surfaces using suitable biomacromolecules to attain optimal physicochemical performance, biocompatibility, cell adhesion and anti-fouling properties is quite challenging. Resilin-mimetic polypeptides (RMPs) are intrinsically disordered biomacromolecules that exhibit multi-stimuli responsive behaviour, including reversible dual-phase thermal behaviour forming self-assembled nano- to microstructures.

A controlled co-assembly approach to tune temperature responsiveness of biomimetic proteins.

The controlled co-assembly of biomacromolecules through tuneable interactions offers a simple and fascinating opportunity to assemble multiple molecules into a single entity with enhanced complexity and unique properties. Herein, our study presents a dynamic co-assembled system using the multistimuli responsive intrinsically disordered protein Rec1-resilin and the adhesive hydrophilic protein silk sericin (SS). We utilized advanced characterization techniques including circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and small/ultra-small angle neutron scattering (SANS/USANS) to elucidate the detailed co-assembly behavior of the system and its evolution over time and temperature.

Morphology of poly-3-hexyl-thiophene blends with styrene-isoprene-styrene block-copolymer elastomers from X-ray and neutron scattering.

The nano- and micron scale morphology of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and polystyrene--polyisoprene--polystyrene (PS-PI-PS) elastomeric blends is investigated through the use of ultra-small and small angle X-ray and neutron scattering (USAXS, SAXS, SANS). It is demonstrated that loading P3HT into elastomer matrices is possible with little distortion of the elastomeric structure up to a loading of ∼5 wt%. Increased loadings of conjugated polymer is found to significantly distort the matrix structure.

Copolymers of Gelatin--poly(3-hexylthiophene) for Transient Electronics.

As transient electronics continue to advance, the demand for new materials has given rise to the exploration of conducting polymer (CP)-based electronic materials. The big challenge lies in balancing conductivity while introducing controlled degradable properties into CP-based transient materials. In response to this, we present in this work a concept of using conducting polymers attached to an enzymatically biodegradable biopolymer to create transient polymer electronics materials.

Unraveling the Effects of Cationic Peptides on Vesicle Structures: Insights into Peptide-Membrane Interactions.

Antimicrobial resistance is a pressing global health issue, with millions of lives at risk by 2050, necessitating the development of alternatives with broad-spectrum activity against pathogenic microbes. Antimicrobial peptides provide a promising solution by combating microbes, modulating immunity, and reducing resistance development through membrane and intracellular targeting. PuroA, a synthetic peptide derived from the tryptophan-rich domain of puroindoline A, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against various pathogens, while the rationally designed P1 peptide demonstrates enhanced antimicrobial activity with its specific composition.

Crowder-directed interactions and conformational dynamics in multistimuli-responsive intrinsically disordered protein.

The consequences of crowding on the dynamic conformational ensembles of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) remain unresolved because of their ultrafast motion. Here, we report crowder-induced interactions and conformational dynamics of a prototypical multistimuli-responsive IDP, Rec1-resilin. The effects of a range of crowders of varying sizes, forms, topologies, and concentrations were examined using spectroscopic, spectrofluorimetric, and contrast-matching small- and ultrasmall-angle neutron scattering investigation.

Structure evolution of nanodiamond aggregates: a SANS and USANS study.

Ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements, covering length scales from micrometres to nanometres, were made to investigate the structure of nanodiamonds (NDs) and their suspensions. These nanodiamonds were produced by two different techniques, namely by the detonation method and by the laser ablation of a carbon-hydro-carbon mixture. The (U)SANS results indicated the presence of structures four orders of magnitude larger than the dimensions of a single ND particle, consisting of aggregations of ND particles.

Tuning of silica nanoparticle-lysozyme protein complexes in the presence of the SDS surfactant.

The structures of the complexes of anionic silica nanoparticle (size ∼ 16 nm)-lysozyme (cationic) protein, tuned by the addition of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), have been investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The unique advantage of contrast variation SANS has been used to probe the role of individual components in binary and ternary systems. The cationic lysozyme protein (at pH ∼ 7) adsorbs on the anionic silica nanoparticles and forms mass fractal aggregates due to the strong attractive interaction, whereas similarly charged SDS does not interact physically with silica nanoparticles.

3D Printable Soy/Silk Hybrid Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications.

The development of protein-based 3D printable hydrogel systems with tunable structure and properties is a critical challenge in contemporary biomedicine. Particularly, 3D printing of modular hydrogels comprising different types of protein tertiary structure, such as globular and fibrous, has not yet been achieved. Here we report the extrusion-based 3D printing of hybrid hydrogels photochemically co-cross-linked between globular soy protein isolate (SPI) and fibrous silk fibroin (SF) for the first time.

Cellular interactions with polystyrene nanoplastics-The role of particle size and protein corona.

Plastic waste is ubiquitously spread across the world and its smaller analogs-microplastics and nanoplastics-raise particular health concerns. While biological impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics have been actively studied, the chemical and biological bases for the adverse effects are sought after. This work explores contributory factors by combining results from in vitro and model mammalian membrane experimentation to assess the outcome of cell/nanoplastic interactions in molecular detail, inspecting the individual contribution of nanoplastics and different types of protein coronae.

Uncovering the superior corrosion resistance of iron made via ancient Indian iron-making practice.

Ancient Indian iron artefacts have always fascinated researchers due to their excellent corrosion resistance, but the scientific explanation of this feature remains to be elucidated. We have investigated corrosion resistance of iron manufactured according to traditional metallurgical processes by the Indian tribes called 'Agaria'. Iron samples were recovered from central India (Aamadandh, Korba district, Chhattisgarh).

Native disulphide-linked dimers facilitate amyloid fibril formation by bovine milk α-casein.

Bovine milk α-casein, an intrinsically disordered protein, readily forms amyloid fibrils in vitro and is implicated in the formation of amyloid fibril deposits in mammary tissue. Its two cysteine residues participate in the formation of either intra- or intermolecular disulphide bonds, generating monomer and dimer species. X-ray solution scattering measurements indicated that both forms of the protein adopt large, spherical oligomers at 20 °C.

Reviewing nanoplastic toxicology: It's an interface problem.

Multiple international agencies have recently raised environmental and health concerns regarding plastics in nanoforms (nanoplastics), but there is insufficient knowledge of their properties to allow for an accurate risk assessment to be conducted and any risks managed. For this reason, research into the toxicity of nanoplastics has focused strongly on documenting their impacts on biological organisms. One scope of this review is to summarise the recent findings on the adverse effects on biological organisms and strategies which can be adopted to advance our understanding of nanoplastic properties and their toxicity.

Tuning the Hierarchical Structure and Resilience of Resilin-like Polypeptide Hydrogels Using Graphene Oxide.

Resilin-like polypeptides (RLPs) are an important class of intrinsically disordered multistimuli-responsive bioelastomers. The nanostructure of RLPs in solution has been extensively studied in the past few years, from dilute to molecular crowding conditions, and with the addition of rigid biopolymers. Modification of the hierarchical network structure of RLP hydrogels using graphene oxide (GO) as an additive is a burgeoning prospect for their application in the bioelectronic and biomedical fields.

Structure of soft and hard protein corona around polystyrene nanoplastics-Particle size and protein types.

A major challenge in understanding nanoplastic toxicity (or nanoparticles in general) lies in establishing the causal relationships between its physical properties and biological impact. This difficulty can be attributed to surface alterations that follow the formation of a biological complex around the nanoplastic, as exemplified by protein coronae. The protein corona is known to be responsible for the biological response elicited, although its own structure and attributes remain unknown.

The Aggregation of αB-Crystallin under Crowding Conditions Is Prevented by αA-Crystallin: Implications for α-Crystallin Stability and Lens Transparency.

One of the most crowded biological environments is the eye lens which contains a high concentration of crystallin proteins. The molecular chaperones αB-crystallin (αBc) with its lens partner αA-crystallin (αAc) prevent deleterious crystallin aggregation and cataract formation. However, some forms of cataract are associated with structural alteration and dysfunction of αBc.

Solution structure of linear battacin lipopeptides - the effect of lengthening fatty acid chain.

In recent years, lipopeptides have received attention for their enhanced antimicrobial activity, especially against multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. We have previously reported that the bacterial soil extracted, novel cyclic lipopeptide, battacin, and its synthetic analogues have enhanced antimicrobial activity against various Gram negative, Gram positive and fungal pathogens. In particular, the modification of the hydrophobic fatty acid chain and molecular structure has improved its activity.

Soft and Hard Interactions between Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Human Serum Albumin Protein Corona.

Upon contact with biological fluids, the surface of nanoparticles is surrounded by many types of proteins, forming a so-called "protein corona". The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticle/corona complex depend predominantly on the nature of the protein corona. An understanding of the structure of the corona and the resulting complex provides insight into the structure-activity relationship.

Evolution of the Interfacial Structure of a Catalyst Ink with the Quality of the Dispersing Solvent: A Contrast Variation Small-Angle and Ultrasmall-Angle Neutron Scattering Investigation.

The electrocatalyst layer (ECL) of the proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is commonly fabricated from colloidal catalyst ink containing carbon-supported catalyst nanoparticles (NPs), ionomer stabilizer, and dispersion medium (DM). The structure, stability, and aggregate size distribution of fuel cell catalyst ink are critically dependent on the quality of DM. However, understanding of the influence of the quality of DM on the hierarchical structure of the ECL is lacking.

Chain shape and thin film behaviour of poly(thiophene)-graft-poly(acrylate urethane).

Electronic graft copolymers with conjugated polymer backbones are emerging as promising materials for various organic electronics. These materials combine the advantages of organic electronic materials, such as molecular tunability of opto-electronic and electrochemical properties, with solution processability and other 'designer' physical and mechanical properties imparted through the addition of grafted polymer side chains. Future development of such materials with complex molecular architecture requires a better understanding of the effect of molecular parameters, such as side chain length, on the structure and, in turn, on the electronic properties.

Biomineralization of Calcium Phosphate and Calcium Carbonate within Iridescent Chitosan/Iota-Carrageenan Multilayered Films.

This work systematically explores the biomineralization of calcium phosphate (CaP) and carbonate (CaCO) within chitosan/iota-carrageenan multilayer films. Multilayer films of chitosan and iota-carrageenan (up to 128-coupled layers) were prepared on glass substrates by a layer-by-layer dip-coating technique. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy revealed dense interfaces between the chitosan and iota-carrageenan layers with thicknesses in the range 250 and 350 nm in the hydrated state, accounting for the iridescent nature of multilayer films when wet.

Morphology-Mediated Photoresponsive and Fluorescence Behaviors of Azobenzene-Containing Block Copolymers.

We investigated the relationship between the self-assembled morphology of poly( tert-butyl acrylate)- block-poly(6-[4-(4'-methoxyphenylazo)phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate) (P tBA- b-PAzoMA) block copolymers and their photoresponsive and fluorescence behaviors. The morphology of P tBA- b-PAzoMA copolymers was manipulated by dissolving them in mixed dimethylformamide (DMF)/hexanol solvents. When P tBA- b-PAzoMA was dissolved in DMF-rich (neutral) solvents, a favorable interaction between the DMF molecules and both blocks resulted in a random-coiled conformation.

Structural evolution of photocrosslinked silk fibroin and silk fibroin-based hybrid hydrogels: A small angle and ultra-small angle scattering investigation.

Regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin (RSF) is a widely recognized protein for biomedical applications; however, its hierarchical gel structure is poorly understood. In this paper, the hierarchical structure of photocrosslinked RSF and RSF-based hybrid hydrogel systems: (i) RSF/Rec1-resilin and (ii) RSF/poly(N-vinylcaprolactam (PVCL) is reported for the first time using small-angle scattering (SAS) techniques. The structure of RSF in dilute to concentrated solution to fabricated hydrogels were characterized using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-small angle neutron scattering (USANS) techniques.

Tuning hydrogels through metal-based gelation triggers.

Two N-terminal capped tripeptides have been synthesised and display remarkable versatility in their gelation behaviour. Here, gelation can be triggered through the addition of an acid, biologically relevant metal salts or cell culture media. The structural and mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogels are tuneable, with gelation triggered through sodium cations amplifying secondary structure organisation yet decreasing gel stiffness.