{
  "abstract": "The interplay between distinct molecular building blocks in multicomponent supramolecular systems can lead to co-assembly or self-sorting, yet distinguishing between these modes of organization remains challenging. Here, we developed two intrinsically fluorescent derivatives of the self-assembling dipeptide diphenylalanine (FF): nitrobenzoxadiazole-conjugated FF (NBD-FF) and a coumarin-conjugated tert-butyloxycarbonyl-protected FF derivative (BocFF-DAC). Both derivatives formed fibrillar assemblies while exhibiting spectrally distinct fluorescence, enabling their direct visualization by confocal microscopy. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of NBD-FF revealed an extended hydrogen-bonded lattice in which the NBD moiety participates directly in intermolecular interactions, including aromatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen-bonding contacts. This finding demonstrates that the fluorophore acts as an active structural element rather than a passive label. When NBD-FF and BocFF-DAC were assembled together, confocal microscopy revealed predominantly spatially distinct fibrillar populations with limited overlap, consistent with preferential self-sorting rather than uniform co-assembly. These findings establish fluorophore-conjugated short peptides as intrinsically traceable building blocks for investigating multicomponent supramolecular organization, while highlighting that fluorophore conjugation can simultaneously enable visualization and influence the assembly.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel",
    "Jan Koum Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel",
    "The Center for Physics & Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel",
    "School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel",
    "Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Gray School of Medical Sciences, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel",
    "Department of Chemical Research Support, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel",
    "Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yoav Dan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3683-0474"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Omri Shelef",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-1679-3330"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Marina Green Buzhor"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Linda J. W. Shimon"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Ronit Satchi-Fainaro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Doron Shabat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Lihi Adler-Abramovich",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3433-0625"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5a16msx6jp1bn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27219661",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5a16msx6jp1bn",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9661",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224134697",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5a16msx6jp1bn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:58Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27219661",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9661"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Fluorophore-Conjugated Diphenylalanine Peptides Reveal Self-Sorting in a Multicomponent Supramolecular System",
  "title_text": "Fluorophore-Conjugated Diphenylalanine Peptides Reveal Self-Sorting in a Multicomponent Supramolecular System",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5a16msx6jp1bn",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}