| 1. |
- Wickham, Abeni, et al.
(författare)
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Near-Infrared Emitting and Pro-Angiogenic Electrospun Conjugated Polymer Scaffold for Optical Biomaterial Tracking
- 2015
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Ingår i: Advanced Functional Materials. - : Wiley: 12 months. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 25:27, s. 4274-4281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Noninvasive tracking of biomaterials is vital for determining the fate and degradation of an implant in vivo, and to show its role in tissue regeneration. Current biomaterials have no inherent capacity to enable tracing but require labeling with, for example, fluorescent dyes, or nanoparticles. Here a novel biocompatible fully conjugated electrospun scaffold is described, based on a semiconducting luminescent polymer that can be visualized in situ after implantation using fluorescence imaging. The polymer, poly [2,3-bis-(3-octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline-5,8-diyl-alt -thiophene-2,5-diyl] (TQ1), is electrospun to form a fibrous mat. The fibers display fluorescence emission in the near-infrared region with lifetimes in the sub-nanosecond range, optimal for in situ imaging. The material shows no cytotoxic behaviors for embryonic chicken cardiomyocytes and mouse myoblasts, and cells migrate onto the TQ1 fibers even in the presence of a collagen substrate. Subcutaneous implantations of the material in rats show incorporation of the TQ1 fibers within the tissue, with limited inflammation and a preponderance of small capillaries around the fibers. The fluorescent properties of the TQ1 fibers are fully retained for up to 90 d following implantation and they can be clearly visualized in tissue using fluorescence and lifetime imaging, thus making it both a pro-angiogenic and traceable biomaterial.
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| 2. |
- Aronsson, Christopher, et al.
(författare)
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Self-sorting heterodimeric coiled coil peptides with defined and tuneable self-assembly properties
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 5:14063
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coiled coils with defined assembly properties and dissociation constants are highly attractive components in synthetic biology and for fabrication of peptide-based hybrid nanomaterials and nanostructures. Complex assemblies based on multiple different peptides typically require orthogonal peptides obtained by negative design. Negative design does not necessarily exclude formation of undesired species and may eventually compromise the stability of the desired coiled coils. This work describe a set of four promiscuous 28-residue de novo designed peptides that heterodimerize and fold into parallel coiled coils. The peptides are non-orthogonal and can form four different heterodimers albeit with large differences in affinities. The peptides display dissociation constants for dimerization spanning from the micromolar to the picomolar range. The significant differences in affinities for dimerization make the peptides prone to thermodynamic social self-sorting as shown by thermal unfolding and fluorescence experiments, and confirmed by simulations. The peptides self-sort with high fidelity to form the two coiled coils with the highest and lowest affinities for heterodimerization. The possibility to exploit self-sorting of mutually complementary peptides could hence be a viable approach to guide the assembly of higher order architectures and a powerful strategy for fabrication of dynamic and tuneable nanostructured materials.
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| 3. |
- Aronsson, Christopher
(författare)
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Tunable and modular assembly of polypeptides and polypeptide-hybrid biomaterials
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biomaterials are materials that are specifically designed to be in contact with biological systems and have for a long time been used in medicine. Examples of biomaterials range from sophisticated prostheses used for replacing outworn body parts to ordinary contact lenses. Currently it is possible to create biomaterials that can e.g. specifically interact with cells or respond to certain stimuli. Peptides, the shorter version of proteins, are excellent molecules for fabrication of such biomaterials. By following and developing design rules it is possible to obtain peptides that can self-assemble into well-defined nanostructures and biomaterials.The aim of this thesis is to create ”smart” and tunable biomaterials by molecular self-assembly using dimerizing –helical polypeptides. Two different, but structurally related, polypeptide-systems have been used in this thesis. The EKIV-polypeptide system was developed in this thesis and consists of four 28-residue polypeptides that can be mixed-and-matched to self-assemble into four different coiled coil heterodimers. The dissociation constant of the different heterodimers range from μM to < nM. Due to the large difference in affinities, the polypeptides are prone to thermodynamic social self-sorting. The JR-polypeptide system, on the other hand, consists of several 42-residue de novo designed helix-loop-helix polypeptides that can dimerize into four-helix bundles. In this work, primarily the glutamic acid-rich polypeptide JR2E has been explored as a component in supramolecular materials. Dimerization was induced by exposing the polypeptide to either Zn2+, acidic conditions or the complementary polypeptide JR2K.By conjugating JR2E to hyaluronic acid and the EKIV-polypeptides to star-shaped poly(ethylene glycol), respectively, highly tunable hydrogels that can be self-assembled in a modular fashion have been created. In addition, self-assembly of spherical superstructures has been investigated and were obtained by linking two thiol-modified JR2E polypeptides via a disulfide bridge in the loop region. ŒThe thesis also demonstrates that the polypeptides and the polypeptide-hybrids can be used for encapsulation and release of molecules and nanoparticles. In addition, some of the hydrogels have been explored for 3D cell culture. By using supramolecular interactions combined with bio-orthogonal covalent crosslinking reactions, hydrogels were obtained that enabled facile encapsulation of cells that retained high viability.The results of the work presented in this thesis show that dimerizing α–helical polypeptides can be used to create modular biomaterials with properties that can be tuned by specific molecular interactions. The modularity and the tunable properties of these smart biomaterials are conceptually very interesting andmake them useful in many emerging biomedical applications, such as 3D cell culture, cell therapy, and drug delivery.
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| 4. |
- Aronsson, Christopher, et al.
(författare)
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Zinc-Triggered Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Fibrous Helix-Loop-Helix Peptide Superstructures for Controlled Encapsulation and Release
- 2016
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 49:18, s. 6997-7003
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate a novel route for hierarchical self-assembly of sub-micrometer-sized peptide superstructures that respond to subtle changes in Zn2+ concentration. The self-assembly process is triggered by a specific folding-dependent coordination of Zn2+ by a de novo designed nonlinear helix-loop-helix peptide, resulting in a propagating fiber formation and formation of spherical superstructures. The superstructures further form larger assemblies that can be completely disassembled upon removal of Zn2+ or degradation of the nonlinear peptide. This flexible and reversible assembly strategy of the superstructures enables facile encapsulation of nanoparticles and drugs that can be released by means of different stimuli.
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| 5. |
- Bengtsson, Torbjörn, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Dual action of bacteriocin PLNC8 alpha beta through inhibition of Porphyromonas gingivalis infection and promotion of cell proliferation
- 2017
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Ingår i: Pathogens and Disease. - : Oxford University Press. - 2049-632X. ; 75:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is characterised by accumulation of pathogenic bacteria, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, in periodontal pockets. The lack of effective treatments has emphasised in an intense search for alternative methods to prevent bacterial colonisation and disease progression. Bacteriocins are bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides gaining increased consideration as alternatives to traditional antibiotics. We show rapid permeabilisation and aggregation of P. gingivalis by the two-peptide bacteriocin PLNC8 alpha beta. In a cell culture model, P. gingivalis was cytotoxic against gingival fibroblasts. The proteome profile of fibroblasts is severely affected by P. gingivalis, including induction of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. PLNC8 alpha beta enhanced the expression of growth factors and promoted cell proliferation, and suppressed proteins associated with apoptosis. PLNC8 alpha beta efficiently counteracted P. gingivalis-mediated cytotoxicity, increased expression of a large number of proteins and restored the levels of inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, we show that bacteriocin PLNC8 alpha beta displays dual effects by acting as a potent antimicrobial agent killing P. gingivalis and as a stimulatory factor promoting cell proliferation. We suggest preventive and therapeutical applications of PLNC8 alpha beta in periodontitis to supplement the host immune defence against P. gingivalis infection and support wound healing processes.
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| 6. |
- Borglin, Johan, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Peptide Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles as a Stimuli Responsive Contrast Medium in Multiphoton Microscopy
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 17:3, s. 2102-2108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a need for biochemical contrast mediators with high signal-to-noise ratios enabling noninvasive biomedical sensing, for example, for neural sensing and protein protein interactions, in addition to cancer diagnostics. The translational challenge is to develop a biocompatible approach ensuring high biochemical contrast while avoiding a raise of the background signal. We here present a concept where gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be utilized as a stimuli responsive contrast medium by chemically triggering their ability to exhibit multiphoton-induced luminescence (MIL) when performing multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPM). Proof-of-principle is demonstrated using peptide-functionalized AuNPs sensitive to zinc ions (Zn2+). Dispersed particles are invisible in the MPM until addition of millimolar concentrations of Zn2+ upon which MIL is enabled through particle aggregation caused by specific peptide interactions and folding. The process can be reversed by removal of the Zn2+ using a chelator, thereby resuspending the AuNPs. In addition, the concept was demonstrated by exposing the particles to matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) causing peptide digestion resulting in AuNP aggregation, significantly elevating the MIL signal from the background. The approach is based on the principle that aggregation shifts the plasmon resonance, elevating the absorption cross section in the near-infrared wavelength region enabling onset of MIL. This Letter demonstrates how biochemical sensing can be obtained in far-field MPM and should be further exploited as a future tool for noninvasive optical biosensing.
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| 7. |
- Chen, Hu, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of Matrilysin Activity Using Polypeptide Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide Field-Effect Transistor Sensor
- 2016
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Ingår i: Analytical Chemistry. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 88:6, s. 2994-2998
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A novel approach for rapid and sensitive detection of matrilysin (MMP-7, a biomarker involved in the degradation of various macromolecules) based on a polypeptide (JR2EC) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) field effect transistor (FET) is reported. MMP-7 specifically digests negatively charged JR2EC immobilized on rGO, thereby modulating the conductance of rGO-FET. The proposed assay enabled detection of MMP-7 at clinically relevant concentrations with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 ng/mL (400 pM), attributed to the significant reduction of the net charge of JR2EC upon digestion by MMP-7. Quantitative detection of MMP-7 in human plasma was further demonstrated with a LOD of 40 ng/mL, illustrating the potential for the proposed methodology for tumor detection and carcinoma diagnostic (e.g., lung cancer and salivary gland cancer). Additionally, excellent specificity of the proposed assay was demonstrated using matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP-1), a protease of the same family. With appropriate selection and modification of polypeptides, the proposed assay could be extended for detection of other enzymes with polypeptide digestion capability.
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| 8. |
- Chen, Peng, et al.
(författare)
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Nanoplasmonic Sensing from the Human Vision Perspective
- 2018
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Ingår i: Analytical Chemistry. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 90:7, s. 4916-4924
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) constitutes a versatile technique for biodetection, exploiting the sensitivity of plasmonic nanostructures to small changes in refractive index. The optical shift in the LSPR band caused by molecular interactions in the vicinity of the nanostructures are typically amp;lt;5 nm and can readily be detected by a spectrophotometer. Widespread use of LSPR-based sensors require cost-effective devices and would benefit from sensing schemes that enables use of very simple spectrophotometers or even naked-eye detection. This paper describes a new strategy facilitating visualization of minute optical responses in nanoplasmonic bioassays by taking into account the physiology of human color vision. We demonstrate, using a set of nine different plasmonic nanoparticles, that the cyan to green transition zone at similar to 500 nm is optimal for naked-eye detection of color changes. In this wavelength range, it is possible to detect a color change corresponding to a wavelength shift of similar to 2-3 nm induced by refractive index changes in the medium or by molecular binding to the surface of the nanoparticles. This strategy also can be utilized to improve the performance of aggregation-based nanoplasmonic colorimetric assays, which enables semiquantitative naked-eye detection of matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) activity at concentrations that are at least 5 times lower than previously reported assays using spherical gold nanoparticles. We foresee significant potential of this strategy in medical diagnostic and environmental monitoring, especially in situations where basic laboratory infrastructure is sparse or even nonexistent. Finally, we demonstrate that the developed concept can be used in combination with cell phone technology and red-green-blue (RGB) analysis for sensitive and quantitative detection of MMP7.
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| 9. |
- Christoffersson, Jonas, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Fabrication of modular hyaluronan-PEG hydrogels to support 3D cultures of hepatocytes in a perfused liver-on-a-chip device
- 2019
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Ingår i: Biofabrication. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 1758-5082 .- 1758-5090. ; 11:1, s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Liver cell culture models are attractive in both tissue engineering and for development of assays for drug toxicology research. To retain liver specific cell functions, the use of adequate cell types and culture conditions, such as a 3D orientation of the cells and a proper supply of nutrients and oxygen, are critical. In this article, we show how extracellular matrix mimetic hydrogels can support hepatocyte viability and functionality in a perfused liver-on-a-chip device. A modular hydrogel system based on hyaluronan and poly(ethylene glycol) (HA-PEG), modified with cyclooctyne moieties for bioorthogonal strain-promoted alkyne-azide 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition (SPAAC), was developed, characterized, and compared for cell compatibility to hydrogels based on agarose and alginate. Hepatoma cells (HepG2) formed spheroids with viable cells in all hydrogels with the highest expression of albumin and urea in alginate hydrogels. By including an excess of cyclooctyne in the HA backbone, azide-modified cell adhesion motifs (linear and cyclic RGD peptides) could be introduced in order to enhance viability and functionality of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived hepatocytes (hiPS-HEPs). In the HA-PEG hydrogels modified with cyclic RGD peptides hiPS-HEPs migrated and grew in 3D and showed an increased viability and higher albumin production compared to when cultured in the other hydrogels. This flexible SPAAC crosslinked hydrogel system enabled fabrication of perfused 3D cell culture of hiPS-HEPs and is a promising material for further development and optimization of liver-on-a-chip devices.
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| 10. |
- Dånmark, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
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Tailoring Supramolecular Peptide-Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels by Coiled Coil Self-Assembly and Self-Sorting
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 17:6, s. 2260-2267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Physical hydrogels are extensively used in a wide range of biomedical applications. However, different applications require hydrogels with different mechanical and structural properties. Tailoring these properties demands exquisite control over the supramolecular peptides with different affinities for dimerization. Four different mechanical properties of hydrogels using de novo designed coiled coil interactions involved. Here we show that it is possible to control the nonorthogonal peptides, designed to fold into four different coiled coil heterodimers with dissociation constants spanning from mu M to pM, were conjugated to star-shaped 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The different PEG-coiled coil conjugates self-assemble as a result of peptide heterodimerization. Different combinations of PEG peptide conjugates assemble into PEG peptide networks and hydrogels with distinctly different thermal stabilities, supramolecular, and rheological properties, reflecting the peptide dimer affinities. We also demonstrate that it is possible to rationally modulate the self-assembly process by means of thermodynamic self-sorting by sequential additions of nonpegylated peptides. The specific interactions involved in peptide dimerization thus provides means for programmable and reversible self-assembly of hydrogels with precise control over rheological properties, which can significantly facilitate optimization of their overall performance and adaption to different processing requirements and applications.
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