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Phosphorylase-catalyzed synthesis and self-assembled structures of cellulose oligomers in the presence of protein denaturants

Polymer Journal volume 54, pages 561–569 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

The self-assembly of biomolecules is an important strategy for fabricating structurally ordered artificial nanomaterials. Various biopolymers have been utilized as self-assembling material components. However, crystalline polysaccharides, such as cellulose and chitin, have rarely been focused on as components for self-assembly, possibly due to their complicated chemical synthesis and low solubility in various solvents even though their stable and robust characteristics are observed in nature. Therefore, the development of methods to control the self-assembled structures of cellulose has the potential to extend the applicability of crystalline polysaccharides in materials science and engineering. In this study, we investigated the cellodextrin phosphorylase-catalyzed synthesis and self-assembled structures of cellulose oligomers in the presence of protein denaturants. The modulation of intermolecular interactions between oligomers by protein denaturants under adequate synthesis conditions resulted in the production of oligomers with greater degrees of polymerization and different crystal structures. Our findings will be significant as fundamental knowledge to artificially construct cellulose assemblies toward novel cellulosic materials.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support to T. Serizawa from a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JP18H02029 and JP21H01996) and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Aquatic Functional Materials) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (JP20H05208). The authors also gratefully acknowledge the technical support for the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and WAXD measurements provided by the Open Facility Center, Materials Analysis Division (Tokyo Tech).

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  1. Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan

    Yuta Sakurai, Toshiki Sawada & Takeshi Serizawa

  2. Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan

    Toshiki Sawada

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Correspondence to Takeshi Serizawa.

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Sakurai, Y., Sawada, T. & Serizawa, T. Phosphorylase-catalyzed synthesis and self-assembled structures of cellulose oligomers in the presence of protein denaturants. Polym J 54, 561–569 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00592-x

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