Enzyme-mimetic self-catalyzed polymerization of polypeptide helices.
Nat Commun
; 10(1): 5470, 2019 11 29.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31784526
ABSTRACT
Enzymes provide optimal three-dimensional structures for substrate binding and the subsequent accelerated reaction. Such folding-dependent catalytic behaviors, however, are seldom mechanistically explored with reduced structural complexity. Here, we demonstrate that the α-helix, a much simpler structural motif of enzyme, can facilitate its own growth through the self-catalyzed polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) in dichloromethane. The reversible binding between the N terminus of α-helical polypeptides and NCAs promotes rate acceleration of the subsequent ring-opening reaction. A two-stage, Michaelis-Menten-type kinetic model is proposed by considering the binding and reaction between the propagating helical chains and the monomers, and is successfully utilized to predict the molecular weights and molecular-weight distributions of the resulting polymers. This work elucidates the mechanism of helix-induced, enzyme-mimetic catalysis, emphasizes the importance of solvent choice in the discovery of new reaction type, and provides a route for rapid production of well-defined synthetic polypeptides by taking advantage of self-accelerated ring-opening polymerizations.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Polímeros
/
Conformación Proteica en Hélice alfa
/
Glutamatos
/
Anhídridos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Commun
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos