Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 3 , Pages 262-265, September 2008

Switching in of Ac-(Ala)10-NHMe at a solid surface

  • Mark J. Biggs, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Institute for Materials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
    • ,
  • Milan Mijajlovic, BEng

Institute for Materials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Received 10 December 2007; accepted 31 March 2008. published online 27 May 2008.

Abstract 

Using molecular simulation, we show how Ac-(Ala)10-NHMe adsorbed on a solid surface switches between three conformations at distinct surface energies. The first switch is from an α-helix to a 3.110-helix. The second involves further stretching to a 27-helix. This switching has several potential applications including memory in molecular computers to motility elements in nanotechnology, and could be relevant to biological activity of proteins near solid surfaces (e.g., nano and aerosol particles) and disease processes induced by such interactions.

Key words: Biomaterials, Molecular switches, Peptide, Protein structures, Protein function and disease

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 M.M. thanks the University of Edinburgh and Oversees Research Support (ORS) Scheme for financial support. M.J.B. thanks the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Leverhulme Trust for the award of a RAEng/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship.

PII: S1549-9634(08)00043-9

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2008.03.008

Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 3 , Pages 262-265, September 2008

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