The hyaluronan-rich pericellular matrix (PCM) plays physical and chemical roles in biological processes ranging from brain plasticity, to adhesion-dependent phenomena such as cell migration, to the onset of cancer. This study investigates how the spatial distribution of the large negatively charged bottlebrush proteoglycan, aggrecan, impacts PCM morphology and cell surface access. The highly lo...

Daniel et al.1 demonstrated the effectiveness of dense bottlebrush polymers in lowering the entanglement density, that is, reducing the physical interaction level, by stiffening the main chains through the growth of numerous side chains—the bottlebrush structure. This breakthrough work is based on earlier works of the late Pakula.2 Sheiko’s group has been working on this topic for several years...

Aggrecan is a high-molecular-weight, bottlebrush-shaped, negatively charged biopolymer that forms supermolecular complexes with hyaluronic acid. In the extracellular matrix of cartilage, aggrecan-hyaluronic acid complexes are interspersed in a collagen meshwork and provide the osmotic properties required to resist deswelling under compressive load. In this review we compile aggrecan solution be...

Molecular-dynamics simulations are used to study the structure of bottlebrush polymers with rigid backbones, for various grafting densities, side chain lengths, and varying solvent quality. While we confirm different states of the bottlebrush proposed by Sheiko et al. (Eur. Phys. J. E, 13 (2004) 125) we find that the transition between stretched and collapsed brushes occurs in a rather gradual ...

Herein we demonstrate the effect that structure of olefinic end-group ( i.e. oxanorbornenyl vs norbornenyl) has upon outcome both macromonomer preparation by RAFT polymerization and subsequent bottlebrush polymer synthesis ROMP.

Hierarchical self-assembly of structural elements gives rise to superstructures often with outstanding properties when compared individual elements, as first observed in nature. While folding synthetic chains leads discrete single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) significant interest for a number applications, its full potential utility through integration into well-defined is recently being recogni...

Near confluent monolayers of arterial smooth muscle cells derived from Macaca nemestrina were labeled with Na2[35S]O4 and the newly synthesized proteoglycans present in the culture medium and cell layer were extracted with either 4 M guanidine HCl (dissociative solvent) or 0.5 M guanidine HCl (associative solvent) in the presence of protease inhibitors. The proteoglycans in both compartments we...