Understanding biological hydrogel function through design of simplified peptides and polymers

Biological hydrogels exhibit complex properties that cannot be recapitulated by current synthetic materials. Examples include mucus, which acts as a barrier against toxins and pathogens while simultaneously hosting trillions of microbes within the gut; cartilage which resists repetitive compressive forces while maintaining highly lubricated layers for efficient movement; and nuclear pore matrices which act as selective barriers in the transport of proteins and nucleic acids. An underlying theme that gives biological hydrogels their unique mechanical and biological functions is the presence of long polymeric molecules. These polymers are typically comprised of repeating subunits that are essential for correct polymer function, such as the phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeats in nucleoporin proteins of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and the proline-threonine-serine (PTS) domains in mucin polymers found in mucus.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Wesley George.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Katharina Ribbeck.

• Biological Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113184

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/113184