Assembly of PPSU-Oligomers

Author

Mariam NesterovFollow

Date of Award

Fall 12-20-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

B.A. with honors

Honors Designation

yes

Program of Study

Biology

Language

English

First Advisor

Baofu Qiao

Second Advisor

Ana Gonzalez-Nayeck

Third Advisor

Grozdena Yilmaz

Abstract

The development of nanostructures for delivering multiple proteins to targeted antibodies has become a promising avenue in biotechnology, driven by advancements in synthetic polymers like poly(propylene sulfone), PPSU. However, the PPSU polymer faces a major limitation - its high insolubility. To address this challenge, this study investigates whether PPSU oligomers can enhance both the solubility and stability of lysozyme, a model protein that is cost-effective and widely accessible. Using dimer, trimer, tetramer, and hexamer configurations, we analyzed the interactions between PPSU oligomer and lysozyme under varying conditions. Our results show that the dimer and trimer are water soluble (no aggregate formation) and stabilize the lysozyme, while the hexamer led to aggregation and the lysozyme denatured. The tetramer exhibited aggregation in smaller spatial dimensions of an 8 nm water box but did not aggregate in larger dimensions of 10 nm water box. It is thus demonstrated that PPSU oligomers, depending on their chain length, can effectively regulate protein stability and aggregation.

Recommended Citation

Nesterov, Mariam, "Assembly of PPSU-Oligomers" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_etds/202