Djalali Surusch, Jing Yun, Ogawa Yu, Delbianco Martina
Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Am Mühlenberg 1 Potsdam 14476 Germany
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin Arnimallee 22 Berlin 14195 Germany.
Chem Sci. 2024 Dec 13;16(3):1390-1395. doi: 10.1039/d4sc07549h. eCollection 2025 Jan 15.
Self-assembly is a powerful strategy for creating complex architectures and elucidating the aggregation behaviors of biopolymers. Herein, we investigate the hierarchical assembly of chitin using a approach based on synthetic oligosaccharides. We discovered that chitin oligosaccharides self-assemble into platelets, which then form higher-order structures. Subtle changes in experimental conditions drastically altered the self-assembly results, generating a wide array of higher-order architectures. Through systematic investigations employing transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), we uncovered the role of water in shaping the different morphologies. This finding gave us the tools to promote the formation of chiral, uniform chitin oligosaccharide bundles. Our work not only sheds light on the fundamental aspects of chitin organization, but also suggests strategies for designing carbohydrate-based materials with tunable structures and properties.
自组装是构建复杂结构和阐明生物聚合物聚集行为的有力策略。在此，我们使用基于合成寡糖的方法研究几丁质的分级组装。我们发现几丁质寡糖自组装成血小板，然后形成高阶结构。实验条件的细微变化极大地改变了自组装结果，产生了各种各样的高阶结构。通过使用透射电子显微镜（TEM）、光诱导力显微镜（PiFM）和原子力显微镜（AFM）进行系统研究，我们揭示了水在塑造不同形态中的作用。这一发现为我们提供了促进手性、均匀几丁质寡糖束形成的工具。我们的工作不仅揭示了几丁质组织的基本方面，还提出了设计具有可调结构和性质的碳水化合物基材料的策略。
