Fig. 1: Autocatalytic formation of peptide-based microfibres.
a Schematic showing: (i) precursor peptide PC8 reacting with octanal (T8) to form the peptide amphiphile product, PC8T8, though an oxime connection; (ii) micellar aggregation of the product PC8T8; (iii) co-assembly of PC8T8 with its precursors and the resulting physically autocatalytic behaviour (circular orange arrow); (iv, v) Hierarchical elongation into individual nanofibres and microfibrillar bundles, which can be seen by fluorescence microscopy stained with ThT. Scale bar = 20 µm. b Time-dependent ThT emission from an aqueous PC8 solution after addition of T8 (green) and without T8 (black); n = 3 (mean ± SD). c Time-dependent CD spectra of the reaction after addition of T8. d Change in CD signal (222 nm) during the reaction. e PC8 consumption in reaction with T8 (1 mM) either in the absence (control) or presence of pre-formed PC8T8 product (5% mol/mol) followed by HPLC (222 nm); n = 3 (mean ± SD).
