Bones and teeth are biocomposites that require controlled mineral deposition during their self-assembly to form tissues with unique mechanical properties. Acidic extracellular matrix proteins play a pivotal role during biomineral formation. However, the mechanisms of protein-mediated mineral initiation are far from understood. Here we report that dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), an acidic protein, can nucleate the formation of hydroxyapatite in vitro in a multistep process that begins by DMP1 binding calcium ions and initiating mineral deposition. The nucleated amorphous calcium phosphate precipitates ripen and nanocrystals form. Subsequently, these expand and coalesce into microscale crystals elongated in the c-axis direction. Characterization of the functional domains in DMP1 demonstrated that intermolecular assembly of acidic clusters into a beta-sheet template was essential for the observed mineral nucleation. Protein-mediated initiation of nanocrystals, as discussed here, might provide a new methodology for constructing nanoscale composites by self-assembly of polypeptides with tailor-made peptide sequences.

Heterogeneous interfaces that are ubiquitous in optoelectronic devices play a key role in the device performance and have led to the prosperity of today’s microelectronics. Interface engineering provides an effective and promising approach to enhancing the device performance of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and even developing new functions. In fact, researchers from different disciplines have devoted considerable attention to this concept, which has started to evolve from simple improvement of the device performance to sophisticated construction of novel functionalities, indicating great potential for further applications in broad areas ranging from integrated circuits and energy conversion to catalysis and chemical/biological sensors. In this review article, we provide a timely and comprehensive overview of current efficient approaches developed for building various delicate functional interfaces in OFETs, including interfaces within the semiconductor layers, semiconductor/electrode interfaces, semiconductor/dielectric interfaces, and semiconductor/environment interfaces. We also highlight the major contributions and new concepts of integrating molecular functionalities into electrical circuits, which have been neglected in most previous reviews. This review will provide a fundamental understanding of the interplay between the molecular structure, assembly, and emergent functions at the molecular level and consequently offer novel insights into designing a new generation of multifunctional integrated circuits and sensors toward practical applications.

During bone and dentin mineralization, the crystal nucleation and growth processes are considered to be matrix regulated. Osteoblasts and odontoblasts synthesize a polymeric collagenous matrix, which forms a template for apatite initiation and elongation. Coordinated and controlled reaction between type I collagen and bone/dentin-specific noncollagenous proteins are necessary for well defined biogenic crystal formation. However, the process by which collagen surfaces become mineralized is not understood. Dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) is an acidic noncollagenous protein expressed during the initial stages of mineralized matrix formation in bone and dentin. Here we show that DMP1 bound specifically to type I collagen, with the binding region located at the N-telopeptide region of type I collagen. Peptide mapping identified two acidic clusters in DMP1 responsible for interacting with type I collagen. The collagen binding property of these domains was further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Transmission electron microscopy analyses have localized DMP1 in the gap region of the collagen fibrils. Fibrillogenesis assays further demonstrated that DMP1 accelerated the assembly of the collagen fibrils in vitro and also increased the diameter of the reconstituted collagen fibrils. In vitro mineralization studies in the presence of calcium and phosphate ions demonstrated apatite deposition only at the collagenbound DMP1 sites. Thus specific binding of DMP1 and possibly other noncollagenous proteins on the collagen fibril might be a key step in collagen matrix organization and mineralization.Mineralized tissues such as bone and dentin are hierarchically organized biocomposites possessing unique mechanical properties (1). Understanding the biomineralization process is of great value for synthesis of bioengineered bone and dentinlike materials with optimum structural properties. Type I collagen accounts for 90% of the total protein in the organic matrix of bone and dentin (1). It not only provides the structural framework with viscoelastic properties but also defines compartments for ordered mineral deposition. Studies have demonstrated that the apatite crystals are first nucleated in the gap region, and the growing mineral platelets are highly organized in a staggered manner within the collagen fibrils (2, 3).It is well established that type I collagen matrix does not have the capacity to induce matrix-specific mineral formation from metastable calcium phosphate solutions that do not spontaneously precipitate. Several in vitro studies have demonstrated that ordered mineralization of apatite on collagen fibril is impossible without additives (4, 5). As a result, much attention has been drawn to the noncollagenous proteins (NCPs) 1 that are tightly bound to the collagen fibers in mineralized tissues. Bone and/or dentin-specific NCPs are mostly acidic in nature and are rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and phosphoserines (6, 7). They possess high calcium binding capacity and hydroxyapatite affinity (8 -10). In vitro ...

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