Playing with Peptides: How to Build a Supramolecular Peptide Nanostructure by Exploiting Helix···Helix Macrodipole Interaction

A novel method to build bicomponent peptide self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) has been developed, by exploiting helix···helix macrodipole interactions. In this work, a peptide-based self-assembled monolayer composed of two helical peptides was immobilized on a gold surface. Specifically, a pyrene-containing octapeptide, devoid of any sulfur atom (A8Pyr), and a hexapeptide, functionalized at the N-terminus with (S,R) lipoic acid, for binding to gold substrates (SSA4WA) via a Au–S linkage, have been employed. Both peptides investigated attain a helical structure, because they are almost exclusively formed by strongly folding inducer Cα-tetrasubstituted α-amino acids. We demonstrate that the two peptides generate a stable supramolecular nanostructure (a densely packed bicomponent peptide monolayer), where A8Pyr is incorporated into the SSA4WA palisade by exploiting helix···helix macrodipole interactions. The presence of both peptides on the gold surface was investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques, while the morphology of the monolayer was analyzed by ultra high-vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy. The composition of the bicomponent SAM on the surface was studied by a combination of electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. In particular, the amount of Au–S linkages from the sulfur-containing peptides was quantified from reductive desorption of the peptide-based SAM, while the amount of A8Pyr was estimated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The antiparallel orientation of the A8Pyr and SSA4WA peptide chains minimizes the interaction energy between the helix dipoles, suggesting that this kind of electrostatic phenomenon is the driving force that stabilizes the bicomponent SAM.