Functional peptide fiber, production method thereof and method for recovering peptide chains

Abstract

This invention provides a functional peptide fiber which comprises a plurality of peptide structure units each containing at least one peptide chain, wherein peptide chains contained in each adjacent peptide structure units do not form peptide bond but are structured into a fibrous form by taking a β-sheet structure, and wherein at least one of the plurality of peptide structure units contains a peptide chain having a functional material connected thereto. Also disclosed are a method for producing the functional peptide fiber and a method for recovering peptide chains from the functional peptide fiber.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A functional peptide fiber which comprises a plurality of peptide structure units each containing at least one peptide chain, 
 wherein peptide chains contained in each adjacent peptide structure units do not form peptide bond but are structured into a fibrous form by taking a β-sheet structure, and    wherein at least one of said plurality of peptide structure units contains a peptide chain having a functional material connected thereto.    
     
     
         2 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the functional material is connected to the amino terminal or carboxyl terminal of the peptide chain.  
     
     
         3 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the functional material is connected to the peptide chain via a connecting substance which specifically connects to the peptide chain and the functional material.  
     
     
         4 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 3 , wherein the connecting substance is connected to the amino terminal or carboxyl terminal of the peptide chain.  
     
     
         5 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 3 , wherein the connecting substance is a material which connects to the functional material with a biochemical specificity.  
     
     
         6 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 3 , wherein the connecting substance is a pair of materials that connect to each other with a biochemical specificity, and one member of said pair of materials is connected to the peptide chain side, and the other member to the functional material side.  
     
     
         7 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 6 , wherein said one member to be connected to the peptide chain side is connected to the amino terminal or carboxyl terminal of the peptide chain.  
     
     
         8 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 6 , wherein said pair of materials comprise any one pair of: biotin group and avidin group; an antibody and its antigen; and an enzyme and its substrate, inhibitor or coenzyme.  
     
     
         9 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 3 , wherein the connecting substance comprises a pair of a metal and a ligand of the metal, and either one of the metal and the ligand is connected to the peptide chain side, and the other to the functional material side.  
     
     
         10 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the functional material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, coenzymes, pigments containing fluorescence groups, liquid crystalline molecules and metallic ligands.  
     
     
         11 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the peptide structure unit itself contains one peptide chain structured into a β-sheet form.  
     
     
         12 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein a peptide structure unit adjacent to the peptide structure unit having a functional material connected thereto contains a peptide chain having connected thereto a group different from the functional material.  
     
     
         13 . The functional peptide fiber according to claim  12 , wherein the different group is carboxyl group or amino group.  
     
     
         14 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 12 , wherein the different group is a second functional material different from said functional material.  
     
     
         15 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two of said plurality of peptide structure units have a functional material connected thereto.  
     
     
         16 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 15 , which comprises, between said at least two peptide structure units each having a functional material, a peptide structure unit forming a β-sheet structure with peptide chains of said functional material-having peptide structure units and containing a peptide chain having connected thereto a group different from the functional material.  
     
     
         17 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of peptide structure units contains a peptide chain comprising a plurality of peptide chains in which adjacent terminals thereof are bonded to each other.  
     
     
         18 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 17 , wherein the terminals of said plurality of peptide chains are disulfide-bonded.  
     
     
         19 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the β-strand moiety constituting the β-sheet structure has a number of amino acid residues of from 5 to 30.  
     
     
         20 . The functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the number of amino acid residues constituting a peptide chain contained in the peptide structure unit is 200 or less.  
     
     
         21 . A method for producing a functional peptide fiber, which comprises 
 mixing a plurality of peptide structure units in an aqueous solution to thereby make the plural peptide structure into a β-sheet structure to have a fibrous form,    wherein said plurality of peptide structure units each contains at least one peptide chain, and    wherein at least one of said plurality of peptide structure units contains a peptide chain having connected thereto a functional material, a connecting substance to be connected to a functional material, or the functional material via the connecting substance.    
     
     
         22 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein at least two of said plurality of peptide structure unit contain a peptide chain having the functional material or the connecting substance.  
     
     
         23 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein said plurality of peptide structure units include a peptide structure unit having connected thereto a material different from the functional material or the connecting substance.  
     
     
         24 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the connecting substance is a substance that connects to the functional material with a biochemical specificity.  
     
     
         25 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the connecting substance is one member of a pair of materials that connect to each other with a biochemical specificity.  
     
     
         26 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 25 , wherein said pair of materials comprise any one pair of: biotin group and avidin group; an antibody and its antigen; and an enzyme and its substrate, inhibitor or coenzyme.  
     
     
         27 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the connecting substance is a pair of a metal and a ligand of the metal, and either one of the metal and the ligand is connected to the peptide chain side, and the other to the functional material side.  
     
     
         28 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the functional material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, coenzymes, pigments containing fluorescence groups, liquid crystalline molecules and metallic ligands.  
     
     
         29 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the functional material or the connecting substance is connected to the amino terminal or carboxyl terminal of the peptide chain.  
     
     
         30 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 23 , wherein the number of β-strands contained in the peptide structure unit containing a peptide chain having the functional material or the connecting substance and that in the peptide structure unit containing a peptide chain having the different material, mixed in the aqueous solution, is different.  
     
     
         31 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , further comprising connecting the functional material to the connecting substance after the formation of the β-sheet structure.  
     
     
         32 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 25 , further comprising, after the formation of the β-sheet structure, connecting a functional material containing the other member of said pair of materials to said one member connected to the β-sheet structure with a biochemical specificity.  
     
     
         33 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 27 , further comprising, after the formation of the β-sheet structure, connecting a functional material containing the other member of said pair of materials to said one member connected to the β-sheet structure with a biochemical specificity.  
     
     
         34 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein said plurality of peptide structure units comprising a peptide chain having a hydrophobic group at a terminal thereof.  
     
     
         35 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein the peptide chains contained in said plurality of peptide structure units have α-helix structure before structured into β-sheet form.  
     
     
         36 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein said plurality of peptide structure units contains a peptide chain comprising a plurality of peptide chains in which adjacent terminals thereof are bonded to each other.  
     
     
         37 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 36 , wherein the terminals of said plurality of peptide chains are disulfide-bonded.  
     
     
         38 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein said plurality of peptide structure units contain peptide chains that are constructed into β-sheet form before making β-sheet form with peptide chains contained in other peptide structure units.  
     
     
         39 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein β-strand moieties constituting the β-sheet structure each has a number of amino acid residues from 5 to 30.  
     
     
         40 . The method for producing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 21 , wherein peptide chains contained in the respective peptide structure unit have a number of amino acid residues of 200 or less.  
     
     
         41 . A method for recovering peptide chains, which comprises: 
 mixing a functional peptide fiber according to  claim 1  in an organic solvent or an acid or alkali solution to divide it into a plurality of peptide chains; and    recovering said plurality of peptide chains from the solvent or solution.