文章基本信息

标题：Protein–like fully reversible tetramerisation and super-association of an aminocellulose
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作者：Melanie Nikolajski ; Gary G. Adams ; Richard B. Gillis 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2014
卷号：4
DOI：10.1038/srep03861
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：Unusual protein-like, partially reversible associative behaviour has recently been observed in solutions of the water soluble carbohydrates known as 6-deoxy-6-(ω-aminoalkyl)aminocelluloses, which produce controllable self-assembling films for enzyme immobilisation and other biotechnological applications. Now, for the first time, we have found a fully reversible self-association (tetramerisation) within this family of polysaccharides. Remarkably these carbohydrate tetramers are then seen to associate further in a regular way into supra-molecular complexes. Fully reversible oligomerisation has been hitherto completely unknown for carbohydrates and instead resembles in some respects the assembly of polypeptides and proteins like haemoglobin and its sickle cell mutation. Our traditional perceptions as to what might be considered “protein-like” and what might be considered as “carbohydrate-like” behaviour may need to be rendered more flexible, at least as far as interaction phenomena are concerned.