1.D.126.  The Cyclic Gamma-Peptide Water Channel (gamma-CP) Family 

Self-assembling peptides can be used to design new materials for medical and biological applications. Chen et al. 2020 synthesized and characterized two novel cyclic gamma-peptides (gamma-CPs) with hydrophobic inner surfaces. NMR and FT-IR studies confirmed that the CPs could self-assemble into parallel stacking structures via intermolecular H-bonds and pi-pi interactions. The morphologies of the self-assembled CPs showed bundles of nanotubes via transmission electron microscopy (TEM); these nanotubes form water channels to transport water across the lipid membrane. The properties of blocking the transport of protons like natural water channels showed that the hydrophobic inner surfaces are important in the artificial transmembrane water channel design. These studies also showed that water transport is a function of pore size and length of the assemblies (Chen et al. 2020).

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