Revealing the Control Mechanisms of pH on the Solution Properties of Chitin via Single-Molecule Studies.

ABSTRACT: Chitin is one of the most common polysaccharides and is abundant in the cell walls of fungi and the shells of insects and aquatic organisms as a skeleton. The mechanism of how chitin responds to pH is essential to the precise control of brewing and the design of smart chitin materials. However, this molecular mechanism remains a mystery. Results from single-molecule studies, including single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), AFM imaging, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, have shown that the mechanical and conformational behaviors of chitin molecules show surprising pH responsiveness. This can be compared with how, in natural aqueous solutions, chitin tends to form a more relaxed spreading conformation and show considerable elasticity under low stretching forces in acidic conditions

SUBMITTER: Zhang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10574145 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature