Journal
SOFT MATTER
Volume 4, Issue 12, Pages 2383-2387Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/b809116a
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Funding
- Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD) [KRF2005-041-C00300]
- Korea Science and Engineering Foundation grant (KOSEF) funded by the Korean government (MEST) [R11-2005-008-00000-0, R01-2007-000-20141-0]
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Well-defined nanostructural control from biological motifs is gaining attention among materials scientists. We are reporting that the beta-sheet structure of L-polyalanine plays a critical role in developing a fibrous nanostructure as well as the sol-to-gel transition of amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-L/or DL-polyalanine diblock copolymers. L-isomers underwent transitions from random coils to beta-sheets, and to nanofibers as the polymer concentration increased, whereas the DL-isomer remained as a random coil structure without developing any specific nanostructure. At high polymer concentrations, the aqueous polymer solutions underwent a sol-to-gel transition as the temperature increased, a so called reverse thermal gelation. The L-isomer with a preassembled beta-sheet secondary structure facilitates the sol-to-gel transition rather than the DL-isomer with a random coil structure. Thus, only the L-isomer showed a sol-to-gel transition in the physiologically important range of 20-40 degrees C. This report provides fundamental information on the relationship between hierarchical structures of polypeptides and the thermosensitive sol-gel transition of the polypeptide aqueous solution.
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