Lipid-like Self-Assembling Peptides

One important question in prebiotic chemistry is the search for simple structures that might have enclosed biological molecules in a cell-like space. Phospholipids, the components of biological membranes, are highly complex. Instead, we looked for molecules that might have been available on prebiotic Earth. Simple peptides with hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic heads that are made up of merely a combination of these robust, abiotically synthesized amino adds and could self-assemble into nanotubes or nanovesicles fulfilled our initial requirements. These molecules could provide a primitive enclosure for the earliest enzymes based on either RNA or peptides and other molecular structures with a variety of functions. We discovered and designed a class of these simple lipid-like peptides, which we describe in this Account. These peptides consist of natural amino acids (glycine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, aspartic add, glutamic add, lysine, and arginine) and exhibit lipid-like dynamic behaviors. These structures further undergo spontaneous assembly to form ordered arrangements including micelles, nanovesicles, and nanotubes with visible openings. Because of their simplicity and stability in water, such assemblies could provide examples of prebiotic molecular evolution that may predate the RNA world. These short and simple peptides have the potential to self-organize to form simple enclosures that stabilize other fragile molecules, to bring low concentration molecules into a local environment, and to enhance higher local concentration. As a result, these structures plausibly could not only accelerate the dehydration process for new chemical bond formation but also facilitate further self-organization and prebiotic evolution in a dynamic manner. We also expect that this class of lipid-like peptides will likely find a wide range of uses in the real world. Because of their favorable interactions with lipids, these lipid-like peptides have been used to solubilize and stabilize membrane proteins, both for scientific studies and for the fabrication of nanobiotechological devices. They can also increase the solubility of other water-insoluble molecules and increase long-term stability of some water-soluble proteins. Likewise, because of their lipophilicity, these structures can deliver molecular cargo, such as small molecules, siRNA, and DNA, in vivo for potential therapeutic applications.