Biophysics articles within Polymer Journal

Featured

  • Focus Review |

    Peptides are versatile molecular tools with molecular recognition capabilities, high designability, and the capacity for self-assembly. In this focus review, the construction of new bio-nanoarchitectures using our peptide-based technologies is described. First, the construction of functional microtubules was achieved by molecular encapsulation using a Tau-derived peptide. Second, light-induced peptide nanofiber growth was used for the development of artificial motile systems of micrometer-sized spheres. The development of bio-nanoarchitectures by these peptide-based approaches is useful for understanding, mimicking, and controlling natural nano/microstructures.

    • Hiroshi Inaba

  • Original Article |

    To clarify the role of lateral deformation of condensed polymer surface on cell adhesion, the responses of cell spreading were characterized at a cell culture temperature on the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted surfaces with different degree of graft-polymerization (DGP). A clear negative correlation between cell spreading and DGP of PNIPAAm was found regardless of the amount of fibronectin adsorbed on the substrates. The microscopic local strain of the condensed polymers by cellular traction forces was considered to modulate the density distribution of adsorbed adhesive ligands beneath the focal adhesions and the cell spreading.

    • Sayaka Masaike
    • , Saori Sasaki
    •  & Satoru Kidoaki

  • Original Article |

    Scaling relations of pulling translocation of a polymer globule through nanopores is studied by using the Langevin dynamics simulations. Under a constant pulling force, the scaling exponent is dependent on the intrapolymer interaction strength. Whereas under a constant pulling speed, it is independent of the intrapolymer interaction strength for sufficiently long polymer chains. The conformational changes of the polymer chain during the translocation and the entropic and enthalpic forces due to the straight conformation at the trans side play important roles on the pulling translocation of a polymer globule.

    • Xian Chen
    • , Jia Chen
    •  & Meng-Bo Luo

  • Focus Review |

    Recent studies on exploration of mechanical deformation of microtubules under tensile and compressive stress, using a newly developed methodology, have been reviewed. In the first part of this review article, development of the methodology and its utility in studying the mechanoresponsiveness of microtubules have been described. In the second part, applications of the recently developed methodology in studying dynamic soft interfaces have been elaborately discussed.

    • Arif Md. Rashedul Kabir
    •  & Akira Kakugo

  • Review
    | Open Access

    Stimulus-responsive hydrogels are highly attractive as the surrogate materials that can simulate dynamic mechanical microenvironments surrounding biological cells in vivo. This review tries to provide with comprehensive overviews on the previous achievements, present pitfalls and challenges, and future perspectives on the recent development on stimulus-responsive hydrogel materials for the dynamic control of cell behaviors.

    • Motomu Tanaka
    • , Masaki Nakahata
    •  & Stefan Kaufmann

  • Original Article |

    The graphical abstract shows that the kinesin-driven quantum dot transport along microtubule immobilized on a substrate using glutaraldehyde concentration ≤0.10% (v/v) remain unaltered, whereas, at higher glutaraldehyde concentration, >0.10% (v/v), the quantum dot transportation is slowed down.

    • Syeda Rubaiya Nasrin
    • , Arif Md. Rashedul Kabir
    •  & Akira Kakugo

  • Original Article |

    Viscoelasticity of PEG in aqueous solutions containing different concentrations of K2SO4 was studied by QCM-D, after coating a rigid supported lipid bilayer on the silicon oxide substrate. The obtained viscoelastic properties of PEG in K2SO4 solutions agree well with the Zimm model predictions for linear polymer chains. The gradual worsening of solvent quality by adding K2SO4 to aqueous PEG solutions is demonstrated by the obtained excluded volume exponents via QCM-D and the conventional intrinsic viscosity measurements.

    • Xiaoxue Wu
    • , Ziliang Zhao
    •  & Yonggang Liu

  • Focus Review |

    Recent advances in the study of active self-assembly utilizing biomolecular motors are reviewed. Various methodologies developed for demonstrating active self-assembly of biomolecular motors are discussed in detail with an emphasis on the morphological variations of the self-assembled structures.

    • Arif Md. Rashedul Kabir
    •  & Akira Kakugo

  • Review |

    Recent works revealed that protein and cell resistance of bioinert self-assembled monolayers originates in the physical barrier of the interfacial water. We review the history of the previous works that attempted to clarify the underlying mechanism and discuss prospects to apply the findings to design new biomaterials.

    • Ryongsok Chang
    • , Syifa Asatyas
    •  & Tomohiro Hayashi

  • Focus Review |

    This review summarizes the recent advances in surface-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes as near-infrared nanometer-sized photoluminescent emitters for single-particle imaging and tracking applications in complex biological environments. It is focused on demonstrating surface coating identification, excitation strategies comparison, and long-term single-nanotube tracking inside the brain extracellular space in the live brain tissue.

    • Zhenghong Gao

  • Original Article |

    A glycopolymer with different mannose incorporation ratios was synthesized via a reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer with acrylamide. The polymers were immobilized onto a gold substrate by the thiol terminate. The glycopolymer layer structures and the glycopolymer–protein interactions were analyzed using a surface plasmon resonance technique. The glycopolymers formed pancake-like structures under dry conditions and were swollen in water. The interaction between the glycopolymer and the protein was enhanced by the cluster effect of the mannose units.

    • Yuhei Terada
    • , Hirokazu Seto
    •  & Yoshiko Miura

  • Note |

    Model calculation results for the coefficient of performance c (solid) of a gel actuator driven by the shrinking transition and the increment of the transition temperature (ΔT/T0) (broken) of the gel plotted against applied force. The shape of these curves depends on the ratio α/β (see text), but the real gels seem to hold α/β >1. In this figure α=3 and β=2 are used for calculation. A reduced form is employed for these variables.

    • Naoya Tochishita
    • , Jun-ichi Horinaka
    •  & Toshikazu Takigawa

  • Original Article |

    The molecular weight of spider proteins contained in the major ampullate glands of spiders collected during different periods. The standard deviation is also indicated. A peak for molecular weight is observed in mid-autumn, which corresponds to the mating season.

    • Shigeyoshi Osaki
    • , Keizo Yamamoto
    •  & Hiromi Sakai

  • Original Article |

    Pore formation on the liposome resulted from the photo-cross-linking reaction between DC8,9PCs, which is a photo-polymerizable lipid, is only observed when the saturated lipids comprise of the hosting matrix. To understand the influence of the hosting matrix, the Langmuir monolayer is employed because the system is capable of precisely controlling the packing state and the compositions of the film. The kinetics of reaction is found to strongly depend on the packing state of the film, and the cross-distance between DC8,9PCs plays a key role for the polymerization reaction to proceed.

    • Siyeon Baek
    • , Minh Dinh Phan
    •  & Kwanwoo Shin

  • Original Article |

    poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) copolymer-coated La0.73Sr0.27MnO3 nanoparticles were prepared through admicellar polymerization. The prepared nanoparticles with core-shell can be used as heat-generating agent in magnetic hyperthermia therapy.

    • Meysam Soleymani
    • , Mohammad Edrissi
    •  & Ali Mohammad Alizadeh

  • Original Article |

    Band patterns for N. clavata spider silk protein and for three different markers in 3% SDS-PAGE. M: marker, A: spider silk solution under a reduced state, B: spider silk solution under an unreduced state. The reduction due to a reductant cleaves the disulfide bonds and decreases the molecular weight from ca. 600 to ca. 270 kDa. Spider silk protein with ca. 600 kDa is suggested to be crosslinked by disulfide bonding between the two proteins.

    • Takashi Matsuhira
    •  & Shigeyoshi Osaki

  • Original Article |

    Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) has a retinal with all-trans and 13-cis, 15-syn configurations whose isomeric ratio is close to 1 in the dark and the population of 13-cis, 15-syn configuration can be increased under the pressurized condition. Increase of pressure by fast magic angle spinning (MAS) induced dynamics change at around Ala81 and Ala84 in bR together with retinal isomerization from all-trans to 13-cis configurations. We demonstrated that fast MAS NMR provides a pressure sauce for investigating the structure and dynamics change of biomacromolecules.

    • Izuru Kawamura
    • , Satoru Yamaguchi
    •  & Akira Naito

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