Self-Assembled Templates for Polypeptide Synthesis

The chemical synthesis of polypeptide chains >50 amino acids with prescribed sequences is challenging. In one approach, native chemical ligation (NCL), short, unprotected peptides are connected through peptide bonds to render proteins in water. Here we combine chemical ligation with peptide self-assembly to deliver extremely long polypeptide chains with stipulated, repeated sequences. We use a self-assembling fiber (SAF) system to form structures tens of micrometers long. In these assemblies, tens of thousands of peptides align with their N- and C-termini abutting. This arrangement facilitates chemical ligation without the usual requirement for a catalytic cysteine residue at the reactive N-terminus. We introduced peptides with C-terminal thioester moieties into the SAFs. Subsequent ligation and disassembly of the noncovalent components produced extended chains ≥10 μm long and estimated at ≥3 MDa in mass. These extremely long molecules were characterized by a combination of biophysical, hydrodynamic, and microscopic measurements.