Polyvinyl/polypeptide graft copolymers

D Chung, S Higuchi, M Maeda, S Inoue. pH-induced regulation of permselectivity of sugars by polymer membrane from polyvinyl-polypeptide graft copolymer. J Am Chem Soc 108 5823-5826, 1986. 

Inoue et al.1115,1161 synthesized polyvinyl/polypeptide graft copolymers by attaching branches of p-phenylazobenzyl/P-benzyl-L-aspartate (X) to poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(butyl methacrylate), and then prepared the corresponding membranes by casting dichloroethane solutions of the polymers. The membranes were stable in trimethylphosphate. 

Analogous photoresponsive peptide and polypeptide systems are being developed the photochemical properties of poly[W -p-(phenyl-azo)benzoyl-L-a,/8-diaminopropionic acid] have been examined, and the first example of photoregulation of permeability across a membrane has been achieved by the use of a new polyvinyl/poly-peptide graft copolymer composed of a photoresponsive copolypeptide branch from /3-p-phenylazobenzyl L-asparate and /3-benzyl L-asparate attached to a poly(Bu methacrylate) backbone.Papain activity has similarly been regulated by anchoring a photo-responsive azo group to the enzyme backbone. ... 

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