Supramolecular biopolymers (SBPs) are those polymeric units derived from macromolecules that can assemble with each other by noncovalent interactions. Macromolecular structures commonly found in living systems such as proteins, DNA/RNA, and polysaccharides. Bioorganic chemistry allows the generation of sequence-specific supramolecular like SBPs be tailored for novel applications tissue engineer...

Motivation DNA data is transcribed into single-stranded RNA, which folds into specific molecular structures. In this paper we pose the question to what extent sequence- and structure-information correlate. We view this correlation as structural semantics of sequence data that allows for a different interpretation than conventional sequence alignment. Structural semantics could enable us to iden...

Discretized models of biopolymer structures can be used not only as approximations of the actual spatial structures but also as a computationally feasible approach to the generic features of the sequence-structure relationships. We review the combi-natorics of nucleic acid secondary structures as well as lattice models of proteins, and show how properties such as the existence of extended neutr...

Motivated by the interest in the role of stiff polymers like actin in cellular processes and as components of biopolymer networks like the cytoskeleton, we present a statistical mechanical study of the twist elasticity of stiff polymers. We obtain simple, approximate analytical forms for the writhe distribution at zero applied force. We also derive simple analytical expressions for the torque-t...

The precise spatial control of cell adhesion to surfaces is an endeavor that has enabled discoveries in cell biology and new possibilities in tissue engineering. The generation of cell-repellent surfaces currently requires advanced chemistry techniques and could be simplified. Here we show that mucins, glycoproteins of high structural and chemical complexity, spontaneously adsorb on hydrophobic...

Majority of materials employed for food packaging are non-biodegradable materials which do not meet increasing demands in society for sustainability and environmental safety. Thus, numerous biopolymers have been exploited to develop biodegradable food packaging materials. Nonetheless, the usage of biopolymers has been limited due to the poor mechanical and barrier properties. These properties c...

plastics are well-established for convenient and safe packaging and distribution of food and feed goods. at present, this special sector of the plastic market displays remarkably increasing quantities of its annual production. caused by the ongoing limitation and strongly fluctuating prices of fossil feedstocks, classically used for plastic production, there is an evident trend to switch toward...