The formation of polymer vesicles or "peptosomes" by polybutadiene-block-poly(L-glutamate)s in dilute aqueous solution

J Am Chem Soc. 2002 Feb 27;124(8):1658-63. doi: 10.1021/ja012091l.

Abstract

Polybutadiene-block-poly(L-glutamate) copolymers were made by anionic polymerization and subsequent ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides and were characterized by NMR, IR, SEC, and circular dichroism. These polymers, when appropriately designed, form so-called "polymersomes" or "peptosomes", vesicles composed of modified protein units. The size and structure of the vesicles are determined by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. It is also shown that the size of the peptosomes does not depend on the pH; that is, the solvating peptide units can perform a helix-coil transition without serious changes of the vesicle morphology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Butadienes / chemistry*
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Elastomers
  • Freeze Fracturing
  • Light
  • Neutrons
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Solutions
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Butadienes
  • Elastomers
  • Peptides
  • Polymers
  • Solutions
  • Water
  • polyglutamine
  • polybutadiene