Solid‐Phase Incorporation of an ATRP Initiator for Polymer–DNA Biohybrids

The combination of polymers with nucleic acids leads to materials with significantly advanced properties. To obviate the necessity and complexity of conjugating two macromolecules, a polymer initiator is described that can be directly covalently linked to DNA during solid‐phase synthesis. Polymer can then be grown from the DNA bound initiator, both in solution after the DNA‐initiator is released from the solid support as well as directly on the solid support, simplifying purification. The resulting polymer‐DNA hybrids were examined by chromatography and fluorescence methods that attested to the integrity of hybrids and the DNA. The ability to use DNA‐based supports expands the range of readily available molecules that can be used with the initiator, as exemplified by direct synthesis of a biotin polymer hybrid on solid‐support. This method expands the accessibility and range of advanced polymer biohybrid materials.     

Kinetic Effects on Self‐Assembly and Function of Protein–Polymer Bioconjugates in Thin Films Prepared by Flow Coating

The self‐assembly of nanostructured globular protein arrays in thin films is demonstrated using protein–polymer block copolymers based on a model protein mCherry and the polymer poly(oligoethylene glycol acrylate) (POEGA). Conjugates are flow coated into thin films on a poly(ethylene oxide) grafted Si surface, forming self‐assembled cylindrical nanostructures with POEGA domains selectively segregating to the air–film interface. Long‐range order and preferential arrangement of parallel cylinders templated by selective surfaces are demonstrated by controlling relative humidity. Long‐range order increases with coating speed when the film thicknesses are kept constant, due to reduced nucleation per unit area of drying film. Fluorescence emission spectra of mCherry in films prepared at <25% relative humidity shows a small shift suggesting that proteins are more perturbed at low humidity than high humidity or the solution state.

     

Organometallic peptide NHC complexes of Cp∗Rh(III) and arene Ru(II) moieties from l-thiazolylalanine

The 3-ethyl thiazolium peptide salts Boc-Thia-Leu-OMe and Boc-Thia-Leu-Phe-OMe based on the unnatural amino acid thiazolylalanine (Thia) have been prepared. After deprotonation, they reacted rapidly via the silver carbene transfer reaction with [RhCp^∗Cl₂]₂ and [Ru(p-cymene)Cl₂]₂ to yield the corresponding thiazole-based carbene complexes 7-10 in acceptable yield. All new compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. These complexes constitute the first examples of thiazolylalanine-2-ylidene metal bioconjugates.     

“活性”/可控自由基聚合反应制备聚合物-蛋白质/多肽生物结合物

将蛋白质或多肽连接到高分子链上,能够改善蛋白质/多肽的稳定性、生物相溶性和溶解性而赋予其优异的应用性能,所得聚合物-蛋白质/多肽生物结合物已经被广泛应用于药物载体、生物材料、纳米材料等领域。本文介绍借助"活性"/可控自由基聚合反应制备新型功能高分子材料的原理与方法,以及其合成聚合物-蛋白质/多肽生物结合物的国内外研究进展。     

Enhancement effect of CdTe quantum dots-IgG bioconjugates on chemiluminescence of luminol-H2O2 system

In this paper we developed an entirely new and highly sensitive luminol-H₂O₂ flow injection chemiluminescence system using the enhancement effect of CdTe quantum dots-IgG bioconjugates. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a kind of bio-molecule was conjugated to different sized CdTe semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). Using PL spectra and CL intensity profiles, it was found that chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) was possibly occurring between CdTe-IgG bioconjugate and luminol. Under optimum conditions, increase of IgG concentration in CdTe-IgG bioconjugate resulted enhancing effect on CL intensity of luminol-H₂O₂ system. Moreover quenching effects on CL intensity by addition of different proteases can construct turn off biosensor for these proteases with low detection limits and wide linear range. Furthermore, the effects of various organic and inorganic species on CdTe-IgG bioconjugates enhanced luminol-H₂O₂ CL system were also studied in this paper.     

新型甾体缀合物的设计合成及活性研究

甾体化合物是一类生物体中广泛存在并起重要功能的生物分子。其特殊结构使这类化合物具有亲脂性,膜亲合性以及与低密度脂蛋白的特异性结合等性能。利用这些特性设计合成各种药物分子的甾体缀合物,可增加药物分子的脂溶性,提高跨膜渗透能力,在特定组织中的分布以及甾体缀合物自身具有独特的生物活性,对探索新型生物活性分子具有重要意义。本文介绍了近年来在设计合成新型甾体缀合物领域的研究进展,包括甾体药物缀合物、含磷甾体缀合物、作为离子通道和分子载体的缀合物及甾体二聚缀合物等。     

Sequence‐Defined Oligomers from Hydroxyproline Building Blocks for Parallel Synthesis Applications

The functionality of natural biopolymers has inspired significant effort to develop sequence‐defined synthetic polymers for applications including molecular recognition, self‐assembly, and catalysis. Conjugation of synthetic materials to biomacromolecules has played an increasingly important role in drug delivery and biomaterials. We developed a controlled synthesis of novel oligomers from hydroxyproline‐based building blocks and conjugated these materials to siRNA. Hydroxyproline‐based monomers enable the incorporation of broad structural diversity into defined polymer chains. Using a perfluorocarbon purification handle, we were able to purify diverse oligomers through a single solid‐phase extraction method. The efficiency of synthesis was demonstrated by building 14 unique trimers and 4 hexamers from 6 diverse building blocks. We then adapted this method to the parallel synthesis of hundreds of materials in 96‐well plates. This strategy provides a platform for the screening of libraries of modified biomolecules.     

Sequential functionalization of janus‐type dendrimer‐like poly(ethylene oxide)s with camptothecin and folic acid

Janus‐type dendrimer‐like poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEOs) of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation carrying terminal hydroxyl functions on one side and cleavable ketal groups on the other were used as substrates to conjugate folic acid as a folate receptor and camptothecin (CPT) as a therapeutic drug in a sequential fashion. The conjugation of both FA and CPT was accomplished by “click chemistry” based on the 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition coupling reaction. First, the hydroxyl functions present at one face of Janus‐type dendrimer‐like PEOs were transformed into alkyne groups through a simple Williamson‐type etherification reaction. Next, the ketals carried by the other face of the dendrimer‐like PEOs were hydrolyzed, yielding twice as many hydroxyls which were subsequently subjected to an esterification reaction using 2‐bromopropionic bromide. Before substituting azides for the bromide of 2‐bromopropionate esters just generated in the presence of NaN₃, an azido‐containing amidified FA derivative was reacted through click chemistry with alkyne functions introduced on the other face of the dendrimer‐like PEOs. A purposely designed alkyne‐functionalized biomolecule derived from CPT was conjugated to the azido functions carried by the dendritic PEOs by a second “click reaction.” In this case, twice as many CPT as FA moieties were finally conjugated to the two faces of the Janus‐type dendrimer‐like PEOs, the numbers of folate and CPT introduced being 2 and 4, 4 and 8, and 8 and 16 for samples of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation, respectively (route A). An alternate route for functionalizing the dendrimer‐like PEO of 1st generation consisted, first, in conjugating the azido‐containing CPT onto the alkyne groups present on one face of the dendritic PEO scaffold. The alkyne‐functionalized FA was further introduced by click chemistry after the bromides of 2‐bromopropionate esters were chemically transformed into azido groups. The corresponding prodrug thus contains 2 CPT and 4 FA external moieties (route B). Every reaction step product was thoroughly characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. A preliminary investigation into the water solution properties of these functionalized dendritic PEOs is also presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011