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Patchy peptide particles for pH-responsive assembly into liquid crystals or lattices.

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Title: Patchy peptide particles for pH-responsive assembly into liquid crystals or lattices.
Authors: Tang, Yao (AUTHOR), Zhang, Tianren (AUTHOR), Yang, Dai-Bei (AUTHOR), Schwartz, Jacob (AUTHOR), Kloxin, Christopher J. (AUTHOR), Saven, Jeffery G. (AUTHOR), Pochan, Darrin J. (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 2/5/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6785, p604-610. 7p.
Subjects: Molecular self-assembly, Peptides, Molecular dynamics, Electrostatic interaction, Nanoparticles, Liquid crystals, Nanostructures
Abstract: Programmable control of protein or colloidal nanoparticle self-assembly into targeted nanostructures, while maintaining stability across extreme pH conditions, remains a major challenge. We designed coiled-coil bundlemer peptide nanoparticles that form ordered, hierarchical materials across an unusually broad pH range (1, 7, and 14) dependent on patchy surface charge display. Nematic liquid crystal formation was observed at low concentration (~0.5 to 4 weight %) at pH 1 and pH 14, whereas higher concentration at pH 1 yielded hexagonal columnar phases. At neutral pH, the same patchy nanoparticles assembled into ordered lattices through electrostatic complexation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed end-to-end particle stacking underlying all phases. Coiled coils with identical amino acid composition but lacking designed charge patches displayed no ordered assembly, demonstrating the importance of programmable electrostatic interactions with protein-like specificity of spatial display. Editor's summary: The self-assembly of polymers, peptides, and other elongated molecules is influenced by factors including charge, polarity, stiffness, and solvent interactions. Introducing charges in materials, for example, can lead to a wide range of often unpredictable outcomes ranging from coacervation to precipitation to liquid crystal formation. Tang et al. used a combination of experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate peptide bundlemers. They designed molecules with charges placed such that they self-assemble into end-to-end linked chains. At extremes of pH (either 1 or 14), the researchers observed liquid crystalline phases, whereas at neutral pH, lattice ordering emerged. Different variants were designed to clarify the roles of charge patches, charge density, and steric effects on liquid crystal assembly and structure. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Patchy peptide particles for pH-responsive assembly into liquid crystals or lattices.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tang%2C+Yao%22">Tang, Yao</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Tianren%22">Zhang, Tianren</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Dai-Bei%22">Yang, Dai-Bei</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schwartz%2C+Jacob%22">Schwartz, Jacob</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kloxin%2C+Christopher+J%2E%22">Kloxin, Christopher J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Saven%2C+Jeffery+G%2E%22">Saven, Jeffery G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pochan%2C+Darrin+J%2E%22">Pochan, Darrin J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Science%22">Science</searchLink>. 2/5/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6785, p604-610. 7p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Molecular+self-assembly%22">Molecular self-assembly</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Peptides%22">Peptides</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Molecular+dynamics%22">Molecular dynamics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electrostatic+interaction%22">Electrostatic interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nanoparticles%22">Nanoparticles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Liquid+crystals%22">Liquid crystals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nanostructures%22">Nanostructures</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Programmable control of protein or colloidal nanoparticle self-assembly into targeted nanostructures, while maintaining stability across extreme pH conditions, remains a major challenge. We designed coiled-coil bundlemer peptide nanoparticles that form ordered, hierarchical materials across an unusually broad pH range (1, 7, and 14) dependent on patchy surface charge display. Nematic liquid crystal formation was observed at low concentration (~0.5 to 4 weight %) at pH 1 and pH 14, whereas higher concentration at pH 1 yielded hexagonal columnar phases. At neutral pH, the same patchy nanoparticles assembled into ordered lattices through electrostatic complexation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed end-to-end particle stacking underlying all phases. Coiled coils with identical amino acid composition but lacking designed charge patches displayed no ordered assembly, demonstrating the importance of programmable electrostatic interactions with protein-like specificity of spatial display. Editor's summary: The self-assembly of polymers, peptides, and other elongated molecules is influenced by factors including charge, polarity, stiffness, and solvent interactions. Introducing charges in materials, for example, can lead to a wide range of often unpredictable outcomes ranging from coacervation to precipitation to liquid crystal formation. Tang et al. used a combination of experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate peptide bundlemers. They designed molecules with charges placed such that they self-assemble into end-to-end linked chains. At extremes of pH (either 1 or 14), the researchers observed liquid crystalline phases, whereas at neutral pH, lattice ordering emerged. Different variants were designed to clarify the roles of charge patches, charge density, and steric effects on liquid crystal assembly and structure. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1126/science.adz6812
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 7
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      – SubjectFull: Molecular self-assembly
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Peptides
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Molecular dynamics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electrostatic interaction
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      – SubjectFull: Nanoparticles
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      – SubjectFull: Liquid crystals
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      – SubjectFull: Nanostructures
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      – TitleFull: Patchy peptide particles for pH-responsive assembly into liquid crystals or lattices.
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            NameFull: Tang, Yao
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              Text: 2/5/2026
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              Y: 2026
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