Ionizing radiation induces cross-linking of two noncovalently-bound collagen mimetic peptide triple helices in the absence of molecular environment

Cross-linking is a fundamental molecular process that is highly important for many applications, in particular to tune the properties of collagen-based biomaterials. Chemical reagents, the action of enzymes or physical factors such as heat or radiation can facilitate collagen cross-linking. Ionizing radiation has the advantage of being fast, efficient and free from potentially toxic reagents. Collagen cross-linking by ionizing radiation is thought to occur via a water-mediated pathway. In the past, synthesized collagen mimetic peptides have proven to be of great value for understanding the influence of the amino acid sequence on the stability of tertiary (fibrous) as well as secondary (triple helical) structures of collagen. Cross-linking of synthetic collagen mimetic peptides is often used for modifying the properties of biomaterials. In this work, for the first time we apply radiation-induced cross-linking to synthetic collagen mimetic peptides, and present an experimental and theoretical study of peptide hexamers consisting of two noncovalently-bound triple helices in the absence of molecular environment, i.e. in the gas phase. Our results show that X-ray photoabsorption of the hydroxylated hexamer leads to ionization and cross-linking of the two triple helices, i.e. we find evidence that cross-linking can be achieved by ionizing radiation, without the presence of any reagent or water. We propose a cross-linking mechanism involving the creation of two radicals on hydroxyproline side-chains and their recombination, ultimately leading to covalent bond formation between the triple helices.