Of synthetic polypeptides

Teramoto, A. and Fujita, H. Conformation-dependet Properties of Synthetic Polypeptides in the Helix-Coil Transition Region. Vol. 18, pp. 65— 149. 

There are still many challenging issues that remain to be addressed in the field of synthetic polypeptides. NCA purification has been one of the bottlenecks limiting the availability and scale-up of NCA monomers. Recrystallization has long been the... 

The first elastomeric protein is elastin, this structural protein is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix, which provides stmctural integrity to the tissues and organs of the body. This highly crosslinked and therefore insoluble protein is the essential element of elastic fibers, which induce elasticity to tissue of lung, skin, and arteries. In these fibers, elastin forms the internal core, which is interspersed with microfibrils [1,2]. Not only this biopolymer but also its precursor material, tropoelastin, have inspired materials scientists for many years. The most interesting characteristic of the precursor is its ability to self-assemble under physiological conditions, thereby demonstrating a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. This specific property has led to the development of a new class of synthetic polypeptides that mimic elastin in its composition and are therefore also known as elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs). 

Conformation-Dependent Properties of Synthetic Polypeptides in the Helix-Coil Transition Region... 

From the above discussion it is clear that the average conformation of a polypeptide in solution depends on both the chain length N and the co-operativity parameter a, even if the helical fraction is fixed. In particular, it has been shown that, when compared at the same fN and N, the average number of helical sequences, gN, becomes smaller as a is lowered. Thus for fixed fN and N there exist a variety of different interrupted helical conformations, depending on the magnitude of a. Figure 4 illustrates two typical examples of such conformations. This theoretical prediction makes a study of the conformation-dependent properties of synthetic polypeptides rather inviting. 

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