Photocontrol of biorelated supramolecular polymer materials using photoresponsive peptides and proteins

This review summarizes our recent advances in the photocontrol of biorelated supramolecular polymer materials using photoresponsive peptides and proteins. Peptides, with their structural diversity and ease of synthesis, serve as versatile building blocks for stimuli-responsive materials. Through the incorporation of photoresponsive units, such as photocleavable amino acids and photochromic molecules, precise spatiotemporal control over peptide self-assembly and molecular recognition has been achieved. Key examples include light-triggered growth of peptide nanofibers, reversible assembly of cytoskeleton-mimetic structures, and deformation of giant liposomes via photoinduced nanofiber formation. Furthermore, the structure and stability of microtubules can be modulated by light using photoresponsive Tau-derived peptides. These technologies provide new tools for the spatiotemporal control of biomolecular assemblies in model systems and may contribute to future developments in artificial cell engineering, molecular robotics, and biomedical materials. The use of light as a clean, tunable, and less invasive stimulus offers significant potential for the dynamic and reversible manipulation of biorelated supramolecular polymer systems. Through the incorporation of photoresponsive units such as photocleavable amino acids and photochromic molecules into synthetic peptides, light-triggered growth of peptide nanofibers, reversible assembly of cytoskeleton-mimetic structures, deformation of giant liposomes, and modulation of the stability of microtubules were achieved.