Properties of the liquid crystals of some biopolymers.

Nematic liquid-crystalline solutions of polypeptides such as PBLG and PELG orient in the direction of a very low static electric field as if the polypeptide molecules were a collection of rod-like molecular clusters having a huge, permanent electric dipole moment. This dipole moment originates from fluctuation of the distribution of polymer helices in both directions of the rod-like molecular cluster with roughly equal likelihood. The molecular cluster of PBLG is estimated to be composed of some 5 x 10(5) molecules and has dimensions of a few to several micrometers x 0.1 microns phi in methylene bromide when the degree of polymerization (mean) is 650. The nematic solutions also orient in the direction of a static magnetic field. The peptide groups of the polypeptide form planes which are parallel to the polymer helix and the magnetic-field orientation is due to the demagnetizing field produced in the peptide groups perpendicular to their planes by the ring current of the pi electrons. The formation of rod-like molecular clusters is absolutely necessary to invite the magnetic-field orientation as in the electric-field orientation. The anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility has been estimated to be on the order of 10(-8) emu/g, and the twist elastic constant of the cholesteric structure on the order of 10(-7) dyn/cm. Derivatives of PBLG with long alkyl chains as pendant groups assume thermotropic liquid crystals, in which melted alkyl chains behave as a solvent in a similar manner as in lyotropic liquid crystals of the parent PBLG. An analogy of thermotropic liquid crystals of the modified polypeptides with those of discotic liquid crystals in the columnar phase has been suggested. Concentrated solutions of a double-stranded helix of poly(A).poly(U) and a triple-stranded helix of poly(A).2poly(U) form liquid crystals both of the nematic and the cholesteric types. The nematic solutions of these polyribonucleotide complexes orient perpendicular to the direction of a static magnetic field owing to the diamagnetic dipole moments induced in the purine or pyrimidine bases of the polyribonucleotides perpendicular to their planes, which are roughly perpendicular to the polymer helices. Any rod-like polymer has a good chance to form liquid crystals in which the occurrence of forces acting among the molecules is not necessary. The PLGA-Na in a neutral aqueous solution undergoes a "coil-to-alpha helix transition" when the polymer concentration is increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)