Metalated peptide fibers derived from a natural metal-binding peptide motif

Biological molecules serve as convenient scaffolds for the construction of nanoscopic architectures which can effectively interact with small molecules and metal complexes to extend their scope for nano(bio)technological applications. Metalloproteins possess natural metal ion binding motifs and the possibility of using these sequences to generate metalated peptide conjugates with defined metal ion coordination offers a facile entry into metalated supramolecular aggregates. This report describes the formation of metalated fibers from Cu-binding octarepeat motifs of the prion protein. Conjugate I effectively binds copper, silver, and manganese, leading to persistent length and thermally stable peptide fibers, which could be applied for molecular bioelectronic applications. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.