Biochemo-mechanical function of urease-loaded gels

Self-oscillating gels driven by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction as novel smart materials

So far stimuli-responsive polymer gels and their application to smart materials have been widely studied; this research has contributed to progress in gel science and engineering. For their development as a novel biomimetic polymer, studies of polymers with an autonomous self-oscillating function have been carried out since the first reports in 1996. The development of novel self-oscillating polymers and gels have been successful utilizing the oscillating reaction, called the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. The self-oscillating polymer is composed of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) network in which the catalyst for the BZ reaction is covalently immobilized. In the presence of the reactants, the polymer undergoes spontaneous cyclic soluble-insoluble changes or swelling-deswelling changes (in the case of gel) without any on-off switching of external stimuli. Potential applications of the self-socillating polymers and gels include several kinds of functional material systems, such as biomimetic actuators and mass transport surface.

Design of self-oscillating gels and application to biomimetic actuators

As a novel biomimetic polymer, we have developed polymer gels with an autonomous self-oscillating function. This was achieved by utilizing oscillating chemical reactions, called the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. Under the coexistence of the reactants, the polymer gel undergoes spontaneous swelling-deswelling changes without any on-off switching by external stimuli. In this review, our recent studies on the self-oscillating polymer gels and application to biomimetic actuators are summarized.

Control of heme peptide activity by using phase transition polymers modified with inhibitors

Catalytic activity of a heme peptide (HP) modified-electrode for H(2)O(2) reduction was controlled by use of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) modified with an inhibitory moiety, imidazole group. The polymers inhibited the catalytic activity below their lower critical solution temperature (LCST) where the polymers were dissolved and did not inhibit the activity above the LCST where the polymers were precipitated. A polymer with a longer side chain connecting with the imidazole group was more inhibitory than a polymer with a shorter side chain at temperatures below the LCST. Formation constants of dissolved HP-imidazole complexes were evaluated by spectroscopic means, and it was found that the polymers were more inhibitory than the corresponding monomers.

Beating polymer gels coupled with a nonlinear chemical reaction

We report on a beating polymer gel that exhibits periodical volume changes (swelling and deswelling) in a closed solution without external stimuli, like autonomous heartbeat. The mechanical oscillation is driven by the chemical energy of the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. The gel is a copolymer gel of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) in which ruthenium tris(2,2(')-bipyridine) [Ru(bpy)(3)], known as a catalyst of the BZ reaction, is covalently bonded to the polymer chain. The poly[NIPAAm-co-Ru(bpy)(3)] gel provides an open system where the BZ reaction proceeds, when immersed in an aqueous solution containing the reactants of the BZ reaction (with the exception of a catalyst). The chemical oscillation in the BZ reaction generates the periodical changes of the charge of Ru(bpy)(3) in the gel network between reduced [Ru(II)] and oxidized [Ru(III)] states. The gel swells at the oxidized state because the hydrophilicity of the polymer chains increases, while at the reduced state the gel deswells. Thus, the chemical energy is transduced into the mechanical energy to drive the polymer gel oscillation with a period of about 5 min, depending on the composition of the surrounding solution. The oscillation mode of the gel depends on its size scaled by the wavelength of the BZ pattern. Sufficiently small bead-like gels demonstrate isotropic beating. A large rectangular gel shows mechanical oscillation with a peristaltic motion coupled with the propagating chemical waves. The dynamic behavior of the chemical and mechanical oscillations have been analyzed with a model simulation. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Control of protein-ligand recognition using a stimuli-responsive polymer

Stimuli-responsive polymers exhibit reversible phase changes in response to changes in environmental factors such as pH or temperature. Conjugating such polymers to antibodies and proteins provides molecular systems for applications such as affinity separations, immunoassays and enzyme recovery and recycling. Here we show that conjugating a temperature-sensitive polymer to a genetically engineered site on a protein allows the protein's ligand binding affinity to be controlled. We synthesized a mutant of the protein streptavidin to enable site-specific conjugation of the responsive polymer near the protein's binding site. Normal binding of biotin to the modified protein occurs below 32 degrees C, whereas above this temperature the polymer collapses and blocks binding. The collapse of the polymer and thus the enabling and disabling of binding, is reversible. Such environmentally triggered control of binding may find many applications in biotechnology and biomedicine, such as the control of enzyme reaction rates and of biosensor activity, and the controlled release of drugs.