Polymers biological synthesis

Siegel S.M. (1957) Non-enzymic macromolecules as matrices in biological synthesis. The role of polysaccharides in peroxidase catalyzed lignin polymer formation from eugenol // J. Amer. Chem. Soc. V. 79. P. 1628-1632... 

Polymers that exist in nature, called biopolymers, include a large and diverse range of compounds. Table 1-1 lists the major classes of natural polymers. In this chapter we will discuss the most important types—their chemical makeup, key properties, and where they are found. We will focus more on the chemical and physical properties of natural polymers and less on their biological synthesis or physiological function. The references at the end of the chapter provide additional information. 

Krepinsky, J. J., Douglas, S. P. Polymer-supported synthesis of oligosaccharides. Carbohydrates in Chemistry and Biology 2000, 1,239-265. 

This volume of Advances in Polymer Science is an attempt to provide an overview of the state of the art in the area of peptide hybrid polymers. The five articles in this volume cover a broad range of topics, from chemical and biological synthesis, to solution and solid-state self-assembly, to medical applications. 

While biological synthesis of polymers confers many advantages, it also imposes some limitations. As described previously, there are several issues that must be considered when designing the monomer and concatamer gene sequences. Furthermore, the potential toxicity of the genetically engineered polymer to the expression host, and the resultant effect on the integrity of the product must be considered. 

Zhang G, Fournier MJ, Mason TL, Tirrell DA (1992) Biological synthesis of mraiodisperse derivatives of poly(a, L-glutamic acid) model rodUke polymers. Macrtunolecules 25 3601-3603... 

The natural world synthesizes a lot of polymers and composites at different scales, providing valuable principles and insights for the fabrication of nanopoiymers and nanocomposites. Here, two important biological synthesis strategies, biomineralization and synthetic biology, are introduced. 

The crosslinked material they obtained displayed, as one would indeed expect, very similar spectroscopic features compared with those of the starting cutin. In a subsequent study in the same vein [84], glycerol derivatives of mono- and dicarboxylic acids, whose structure simulated those present in both suberin and cutin, were prepared and characterized in an effort to simulate the biological synthesis of those natural polymers and exploit their peculiar properties, particularly their tendency to form supramolecular assemblies. 

Krepinsky JJ, Douglas SP (2000) Polymer-supported synthesis of oligosaccharides. In Ernst B, Hart GW, Sinay P (eds) Carbohydrates in chemistry and biology, vol 1. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp 239-265... 

Attention should be given to the similarity between solid phase technology and the biological synthesis of proteins. In both cases, an amino acid is attached via the carboxylate function to a large macromolecular surface upon which the sequential addition of other amino acids and peptide bond formation occurs. In one case, the polymer, like the tRNA molecule at the peptidyl site, is the leaving group, while in the other case, the polymer, like the tRNA molecule at the aminoacyl site, remains bound to the chain after formation... 

A. Mouflou, J. G. Zilliox, G. Beinert, Ph. Chaumont, and J. Herz, in Biological Synthesis of Polymer Networks (O. Kramer, ed.), Elsevier Applied Science, London, 1988, pp. 483-493. 

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