Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), 85 St Nicholas Terrace, New York, New York 10031, USA.
Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2023 Nov 28;59(95):14138-14141. doi: 10.1039/d3cc04231f.
Melanin pigments are found in most life forms, where they are responsible for coloration and ultraviolet (UV) light protection. Natural melanin is a poorly soluble and complex biosynthesis product produced through confined and templated enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine. It has been challenging to create water-soluble synthetic mimics. This study demonstrates the enzymatic synthesis of oxidized phenols confined inside liquid droplets. We use an amphiphilic, bifunctional peptide, DYFR, that combines a tyrosine tripeptide previously shown to undergo enzymatic oxidation to form peptide pigments with broad absorbance, and polyarginine to facilitate complex coacervation in the presence of ATP. When ATP, DYFR are mixed and exposed to tyrosinase, pigmented liquid droplets result, while no appreciable oxidation is observed in the bulk.
黑色素存在于大多数生命形式中，负责生物的颜色和抵御紫外线（UV）的伤害。天然黑色素是一种溶解性差且结构复杂的生物合成产物，由酪氨酸的受限和模板化酶促氧化产生。创造具有水溶性的合成类似物一直具有挑战性。本研究展示了受限在液滴内的氧化酚的酶促合成。我们使用了一种两亲性的双功能肽 DYFR，它结合了一个三肽酪氨酸，该酪氨酸先前被证明可通过酶促氧化形成具有宽吸收的肽颜料，而多精氨酸则有助于在存在 ATP 的情况下形成复杂的凝聚物。当 ATP 和 DYFR 混合并暴露于酪氨酸酶时，会产生有色的液滴，而在体相中则没有明显的氧化。
