Fibrous Proteins and Self-Assembling Peptides: From Structure and Assembly to Applications

Dear Colleagues,

With this Topic, we intend to collect a broad range of contributions related to folding, assembly, and applications of fibrous proteins and self-assembling peptides. Natural fibrous proteins such as collagen, elastin, silk fibroins, and spider silks have long fascinated scientists and engineers due to their mechanical and elastic properties. Most of these proteins are built from repetitive self-assembling building blocks that serve as a source of inspiration for designer biomaterials. Amyloid-type fibrils are another class of self-assembled fibrous objects, most often associated with protein aggregation diseases; however, nature often uses amyloid type-folds to build natural biomaterials. Crystal structure information was until recently scarce, especially for beta-structured fibrous folds; however, in recent years, considerable progress has been made due to the emergence of Cryo-EM methodologies that provided atomic-scale information for previously intractable fibrous objects such as amyloid fibrils. The most recent development of artificial intelligence methods such as Alphafold and Alphafold multimer for protein structure prediction is also a remarkable game changer in the field. Last but not least, viral fibers, since they are the viral cell-attachment organelles, are recently the focus of intense investigation, mainly due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Despite the effervescence of structural insight in the aforementioned areas, much remains to be clarified and understood. Therefore, the present Topic aims to substantially contribute to the advancement of this research field by collecting and merging insights ranging from theoretical, biochemical and structural knowledge to nanosciences/technologies towards a long-term vision and applications. Theoretical contributions or contributions combining theoretical and experimental insight are especially encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Anna Mitraki
Dr. Chrysoula Kokotidou
Prof. Dr. Vagelis Harmandaris
Dr. Anastassia Rissanou
Topic Editors