This work describes a new class of short polypeptides that can
self-assemble to form regular nanotubes with an average diameters of
about 50 nm. These peptides (7 to 8 amino acids) have a structure very
similar to those observed in surfactant molecules with a defined
hydrophilic head group constituting of charged amino acids and a
lipophilic tail made out of hydrophobic amino acids such as alanine,
valine or leucine. Cryo-TEM micrographs show numerous three-fold
junctions connecting the self-assembling nanostructures and thus leading
to the formation of a rather dense network of entangled nanotubes.
Additionally, the observation of clear openings at the end of the
supramolecular structures confirms the presence of tubular organization.