Effects of Nucleoside and PNA Conjugation on Self-assembly of Diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe)

Abstract

Effects of Nucleoside and PNA Conjugation on Self-assembly of Diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) The thesis entitled “Effects of Nucleoside and PNA Conjugation on Self-assembly of Diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe)” is comprised of studies on design, synthesis of peptide Phe-Phe (Diphenylalanine) conjugated with nucleosides, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and ferrocene and their characterization. The dipeptide Phe-Phe is well known to self-assemble into nanostructures, which have relevance to many disease causing situations (Alzheimer, Parkinson etc.). In order to understand molecular determinants of its self-assembly, the work presented in thesis explores their conjugation with other self-assembling components such as nucleosides and PNA to modulate their inherent self-assembly. The consequences of these modifications on the morphology of the peptide assemblies are probed. As Phe-Phe conjugates form porous nanostructures, their potential for encapsulating small molecules (dyes) and electrochemical properties such as capacitance and redox properties are investigated.