The structure and dynamics of chitin nanofibrils in an aqueous environment revealed by molecular dynamics simulations

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081723%3A_____%2F16%3A00464393" target="_blank" >RIV/68081723:_____/16:00464393 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/00216224:14740/16:00090502

Výsledek na webu

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c6ra00107f" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c6ra00107f</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c6ra00107f" target="_blank" >10.1039/c6ra00107f</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

The structure and dynamics of chitin nanofibrils in an aqueous environment revealed by molecular dynamics simulations

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Chitin is one of the most abundant structural biomolecules in nature, where it occurs in the form of nanofibrils that are the smallest building blocks for many biological structural materials, such as the exoskeleton of Arthropoda. Despite this fact, little is known about the structural properties of these nanofibrils. Here, we present a theoretical study of a single chitin molecule and 10 alpha-chitin nanofibrils with different numbers of chains in an aqueous environment that mimics the conditions in natural systems during self-assembly. Our extensive analysis of the molecular dynamics trajectories, including free energy calculations for every model system, reveals not only the structural properties of the nanofibrils, but also provides insight into the principles of nanofibril formation. We identified the fundamental phenomena occurring in the chitin nanofibrils such as their hydrogen bonding pattern and resulting helical shape. With increasing size, the nanofibrils become increasingly stable and their structural properties approach those of crystalline alpha-chitin if they consist of more than 20 chains. Interestingly, this coincides with the typical size of chitin nanofibrils observed in natural systems, suggesting that their evolutionary success was at least partially driven by these specific structure-property relations

Název v anglickém jazyce

The structure and dynamics of chitin nanofibrils in an aqueous environment revealed by molecular dynamics simulations

Popis výsledku anglicky

Chitin is one of the most abundant structural biomolecules in nature, where it occurs in the form of nanofibrils that are the smallest building blocks for many biological structural materials, such as the exoskeleton of Arthropoda. Despite this fact, little is known about the structural properties of these nanofibrils. Here, we present a theoretical study of a single chitin molecule and 10 alpha-chitin nanofibrils with different numbers of chains in an aqueous environment that mimics the conditions in natural systems during self-assembly. Our extensive analysis of the molecular dynamics trajectories, including free energy calculations for every model system, reveals not only the structural properties of the nanofibrils, but also provides insight into the principles of nanofibril formation. We identified the fundamental phenomena occurring in the chitin nanofibrils such as their hydrogen bonding pattern and resulting helical shape. With increasing size, the nanofibrils become increasingly stable and their structural properties approach those of crystalline alpha-chitin if they consist of more than 20 chains. Interestingly, this coincides with the typical size of chitin nanofibrils observed in natural systems, suggesting that their evolutionary success was at least partially driven by these specific structure-property relations

Druh

J_x - Nezařazeno - Článek v odborném periodiku (Jimp, Jsc a Jost)

CEP obor

BO - Biofyzika

OECD FORD obor

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Projekt

Výsledek vznikl pri realizaci vícero projektů. Více informací v záložce Projekty.

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2016

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

RSC Advances

ISSN

2046-2069

e-ISSN

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Svazek periodika

6

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

36

Stát vydavatele periodika

GB - Spojené království Velké Británie a Severního Irska

Počet stran výsledku

22

Strana od-do

30710-30721

Kód UT WoS článku

000373061600093

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

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