Thermal and structural properties of biologically derived monodisperse hairy-rod polymers

Influence of global fluorination on chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity and stability

Varied levels of fluorinated amino acid have been introduced biosynthetically to test the functional limits of global substitution on enzymatic activity and stability. Replacement of all the leucine (LEU) residues in the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) with the analog, 5',5',5'-trifluoroleucine (TFL), results in the maintenance of enzymatic activity under ambient temperatures as well as an enhancement in secondary structure but loss in stability against heat and denaturants or organic co-solvents. Although catalytic activity of the fully substituted CAT is preserved under standard reaction conditions compared to the wild-type enzyme both in vitro and in vivo, as the incorporation levels increase, a concomitant reduction in thermostability and chemostability is observed. Circular dichroism (CD) studies reveal that although fluorination greatly improves the secondary structure of CAT, a large structural destabilization upon increased levels of TFL incorporation occurs at elevated temperatures. These data suggest that enhanced secondary structure afforded by TFL incorporation does not necessarily lead to an improvement in stability.

Influence of molecular weight on the phase behavior and structure formation of branched side-chain hairy-rod polyfluorene in bulk phase

We report on an experimental study of the self-organization and phase behavior of hairy-rod pi -conjugated branched side-chain polyfluorene, poly[9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-fluorene-2,7-diyl]-i.e., poly[2,7-(9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluorene] (PF2/6) -as a function of molecular weight (M(n)) . The results have been compared to those of phenomenological theory. Samples for which M(n) =3-147 kg/mol were used. First, the stiffness of PF2/6 , the assumption of the theory, has been probed by small-angle neutron scattering in solution. Thermogravimetry has been used to show that PF2/6 is thermally stable over the conditions studied. Second, the existence of nematic and hexagonal phases has been phenomenologically identified for lower and higher M(n) (LMW, M(n) < M(*)(n) and HMW, M(n) > M(*)(n) ) regimes, respectively, based on free-energy argument of nematic and hexagonal hairy rods and found to correspond to the experimental x-ray diffraction (XRD) results for PF2/6 . By using the lattice parameters of PF2/6 as an experimental input, the nematic-hexagonal transition has been predicted in the vicinity of glassification temperature (T(g)) of PF2/6 . Then, by taking the orientation parts of the free energies into account the nematic-hexagonal transition has been calculated as a function of temperature and M(n) and a phase diagram has been formed. Below T(g) of 80 degrees C only (frozen) nematic phase is observed for M(n)< M(*)(n) = 10(4) g/mol and crystalline hexagonal phase for M(n) > M(*)(n) . The nematic-hexagonal transition upon heating is observed for the HMW regime depending weakly on M(n) , being at 140-165 degrees C for M(n) > M(*)(n). Third, the phase behavior and structure formation as a function of M(n) have been probed using powder and fiber XRD and differential scanning calorimetry and reasonable semiquantitative agreement with theory has been found for M(n) >or=3 kg/mol. Fourth, structural characteristics are widely discussed. The nematic phase of LMW materials has been observed to be denser than high-temperature nematic phase of HMW compounds. The hexagonal phase has been found to be paracrystalline in the (ab0) plane but a genuine crystal meridionally. We also find that all these materials including the shortest 10-mer possess the formerly observed rigid five-helix hairy-rod molecular structure.

Genetically engineered polymers: status and prospects for controlled release

Genetic engineering methodology has enabled the synthesis of protein-based polymers with precisely controlled structures. Protein-based polymers have well-defined molecular weights, monomer compositions, sequences and stereochemistries. The incorporation of tailor-made motifs at specified locations by recombinant techniques allows the formation of hydrogels, sensitivity to environmental stimuli, complexation with drugs and nucleic acids, biorecognition and biodegradation. Accordingly, a special interest has emerged for the use of protein-based polymers for controlled drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. This article is a review of genetically engineered polymers, their physicochemical characteristics, synthetic strategies used to produce them and their biomedical applications with emphasis on controlled release.

Rendering Poly(amidoamine) or Poly(propylenimine) Dendrimers Temperature Sensitive

The poly(amidoamine) dendrimers having terminal isobutyramide (IBAM) groups were prepared by the reaction of isobutyric acid and the amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with generations (G) of 2 to 5 by using a condensing agent, 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. 1H and 13C NMR revealed that an IBAM group was attached to essentially every chain end of the dendrimers. While the IBAM-terminated G2 dendrimer was soluble in water, the IBAM-terminated G3, G4, and G5 dendrimers exhibited the lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) at 75, 61, and 43 degrees C, respectively. Because the density of the terminal IBAM groups in the periphery of the dendrimer progressively increases with increasing dendrimer generation, the interaction of the IBAM groups might take place more efficiently, resulting in a remarkable decrease in the LCST. In addition, attachment of IBAM groups to poly(propylenimine) dendrimers could give the temperature-sensitive property, indicating that this is an efficient method to render dendrimers temperature sensitive.

Confinement-induced order of tethered alkyl chains at the water/vapor interface

Packing of tethered alkyl chains in Langmuir monolayers of a hairy-rod polypeptide poly[gamma-4-(n-hexadecyloxy)benzyl alpha,L-glutamate] on water has been studied by x-ray scattering measurements at room temperature. The rods lie parallel to the surface while the alkyl side chains segregate toward the vapor. Results indicate that the herringbone order of the alkyl chains is established initially by one-dimensionally confined chains between aligned rods and grows laterally with compression.