Noncanonical Amino Acids Dictate Peptide Assembly in Living Cells

作者：Xin Liu, Binbin Hu, Zhilin Yu · 发表于：Accounts of Chemical Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00796 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials、Chemical Synthesis and Analysis、RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms

Emulating the structural features or functions of natural systems has been demonstrated as a state-of-the-art strategy to create artificial functional materials. Inspired by the assembly and bioactivity of proteins, the self-assembly of peptides into nanostructures represents a promising approach for creating biomaterials. Conventional assembled peptide biomaterials are typically formulated in solution and delivered to pathological sites for implementing theranostic objectives. However, this translocation entails a switch from formulation conditions to the physiological environment and raises concerns about material performance. In addition, the precise and efficient accumulation of administered biomaterials at target sites remains a significant challenge, leading to potential biosafety issues associated with off-target effects. These limitations significantly hinder the progress of advanced biomaterials. To address these concerns, the past few years have witnessed the development of in situ assembly of peptides in living systems as a new endeavor for optimizing biomaterial performance benefiting from the advances of stimuli-responsive reactions regulating noncovalent interactions. In situ assembly of peptides refers to the processes of regulating assembly via stimuli-responsive reactions at target sites. Due to the advantages of precisely forming well-defined nanostructures at pathological lesions, in situ-formed assemblies with integrated bioactivity are interesting for the...