Fluorescence patterns from supramolecular polymer assembly and disassembly for sensing metallo- and nonmetalloproteins.

ABSTRACT: Critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of surfactants is lowered when polyelectrolytes act as counterions. At a concentration in between the CACs of the surfactant and the polymer-surfactant complex, protein-induced disassemblies can be achieved. This is because, when proteins competitively bind to the polyelectrolytes, the surfactants are not capable of sustaining a micelle-type assembly at this concentration. Since these amphiphilic aggregates are capable of noncovalently sequestering hydrophobic guest molecules, the protein binding induced disassembly process also results in a guest release from these assemblies. We show here that the change in fluorescence with different proteins is dependent not only on the nature of the polymer-surfactant complex, but also on the fluorescent transd

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2736297 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature