Functional fibrils derived from the peptide TTR1-cycloRGDfK that target cell adhesion and spreading

Peptide self-assembly offers a route for the production of fibrous nanomaterials with advanced bioactive properties that promote specific cell interactions. In this study the peptide TTR1-cycloRGDfK was designed to form amyloid-like fibrils that display the functional cyclic RGDfK pentapeptide ligand to target mammalian cell surface αVβ3 integrin receptors. The TTR105–115 (or TTR1) sequence was used as the self-assembling domain. Once assembled, TTR1-cycloRGDfK fibrils display a characteristic cross-β core structure by X-ray fibre diffraction that was preserved following dehydration. Thin films of fibrils were characterised by infrared synchrotron mapping, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Cell adhesion and spreading were promoted on thin films of TTR1-cycloRGDfK fibrils via specific interactions with the cyclic RGDfK ligand. Low levels of non-specific interactions were also observed between cells and non-functionalised fibrils. TTR1-cycloRGDfK fibrils are an advance on bioactive fibrils previously designed to interact with a range of RGD binding integrins and our findings show that the assembly of amyloid-like fibrils based on the TTR1 sequence is robust and can be directed to form materials with specific properties.