Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of Viscoelastic Pseudopeptidoglycan Networks
Bacterial peptidoglycans (PGs) are essential targets for antibiotics and immune cells. Chemical methods to reproduce PGs semisynthetically are tedious and wasteful. In this work, we describe a new approach to form pseudo-PGs (PPGs) using the protease papain and custom-made peptides conjugated to a glycan. The kinetics of formation is monitored by rheology and <sup>1</sup>H NMR. Viscoelastic gels of controlled strength are formed, depending on the temperature and the number of peptide bridges between the glycan chains. We propose that the new method has a high impact on biomaterials research, since it could be used to deliver peptides, test antibiotic efficacy, or investigate human immune cell response.
Authors
- Karin Stana Kleinschek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9189-0242)
- Tobias Steindorfer
- Georg Gescheidt‐Demner
- Rupert Kargl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4327-7053)
- F. Lackner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0386-8254)
- Tanja M. Wrodnigg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7644-5431)
- Dmytro Neshchadin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8918-1028)
- Tamilselvan Mohan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8569-1642)
- Matej Bračič (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0213-6772)
- Tobias Dorn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7513-9481)
- Philipp Loibner
- David Bučak-Gasser
- Katharina Schober
- Monika Brandtner
Institutions
- University of Maribor (SI)
- Graz University of Technology (AT)
- Institute of Engineering (NP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Bioconjugate Chemistry
- Published
- 2025-06-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5c00014
- Primary Topic
- Carbohydrate Chemistry and Synthesis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00