Dynamic covalent chemistry enables formation of antimicrobial peptide quaternary assemblies in a completely abiotic manner

Despite advances in peptide synthesis techniques, explicit control over the quaternary structure of synthetic peptides has remained elusive. Now, the dynamic covalent chemistry of hydrazide- and aldehyde-containing peptides has now been shown to enable the formation of unique quaternary structures with topological diversity. Using this method, oligomers were assembled into complex structures showing dramatic enhancements of antimicrobial effectiveness versus Staphylococcus Aureus.