Altered Peptide Self-Assembly and Co-Assembly with DNA by Modification of Aromatic Residues

Aromatic residues are widely used as building blocks for driving self-assemblies in natural and designer biomaterials. The noncovalent interactions involving aromatic rings determine proteins’ structure and biofunction. Here, we studied the effects of changes in the proximity of the aromatic rings in a self-assembling peptide for modulating interactions involving the aromatic residues. By changing the distance between the aromatic ring and peptide backbone and replacing the side chain with a sulfur atom, we altered the nanostructures and gene transfection efficiency of peptide-DNA co-assemblies. This study demonstrates the significance of subtle alterations in aromatic interactions and facilitates deeper understanding of the aromatic-involving interactions.