Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 14
SUPRAMOLECULAR POLYMERIZATION
OF PEPTIDES AND PEPTIDE
DERIVATIVES: NANOFIBROUS
MATERIALS
HE DONG, VIRANY M. YUWONO, and JEFFREY D. HARTGERINK
14.1. INTRODUCTION
Although there have been much criticism of the final utility of the drive toward
nanotechnology (stemming primarily from overblown claims and overly optimistic
time lines), there is no doubt that nanotechnology can work. Control over these
dimensions will lead to miraculous leaps in medicine and technology: the proof is
in every living cell, each a beautifully orchestrated, nanostructured factory. The
task is merely to understand the complexity within and apply this knowledge.
Unfortunately, although Nature has been kind enough to show us the end result of
mastery of this knowledge (life), she has been less forthcoming with respect to the
how and why. To tackle this challenge one group of scientists has chosen to
attempt to mimic these natural structures. Although most of the biological machines
are far beyond what is currently accessible to the synthetic scientist, the synthesis of
one subset of these materials, the nanofiber, has seen significant success. Nature
utilizes a remarkable array of nanofibrous materials to carry out her intricate
designs. Some of their applications include tissue cohesion, cell division, muscle con-
traction, intracellular molecular trafficking, and cellular locomotion. Most of the
fibers responsible for the root of these functions result from precise control of the
supramolecular polymerization of comparatively small subunits. Inspiring examples
include the intermediate filaments and myosin fibers assembled largely from coiled
coils, collagen fibrils assembled from peptide triple helices, and actin filaments
and microtubules assembled from globular units. Nanofibers can also result from
