Wang Pam S P, Schepartz Alanna
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 225 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2016 Jun 14;52(47):7420-32. doi: 10.1039/c6cc01546h. Epub 2016 May 5.
Peptides containing β-amino acids are unique non-natural polymers known to assemble into protein-like tertiary and quaternary structures. When composed solely of β-amino acids, the structures formed, defined assemblies of 14-helices called β-peptide bundles, fold cooperatively in water solvent into unique and discrete quaternary assemblies that are highly thermostable, bind complex substrates and metal ion cofactors, and, in certain cases, catalyze chemical reactions. In this Perspective, we recount the design and elaboration of β-peptide bundles and provide an outlook on recent, unexpected discoveries that could influence research on β-peptides and β-peptide bundles (and β-amino acid-containing proteins) for decades to come.
含有β-氨基酸的肽是独特的非天然聚合物，已知能组装成类似蛋白质的三级和四级结构。当仅由β-氨基酸组成时，所形成的结构，即被称为β-肽束的14-螺旋定义组装体，在水溶剂中协同折叠成独特且离散的四级组装体，这些组装体具有高度的热稳定性，能结合复杂底物和金属离子辅因子，并且在某些情况下能催化化学反应。在这篇展望文章中，我们讲述了β-肽束的设计与阐述，并对近期意外的发现进行了展望，这些发现可能会在未来几十年影响对β-肽和β-肽束（以及含β-氨基酸的蛋白质）的研究。
