Macromolecules Of The Cell: A Polymer Science Viewpoint

Polyelectrolytes are ubiquitous in biology, from the polynucleotide chain in our DNA, the hyaluronic acid in the vitreous body of the eye (Gao et al., Int J Ophthalmol, 8, 437-440, 2015) to the myosin and actin fibrils that make up our muscles. While synthetic polyelectrolytes are well studied, their correlation to biological polyelectrolytes is just beginning. This review will examine the polyelectrolytes that make up fundamental cell biology from a macromolecular perspective and the implications polyelectrolyte theory has on biological function. (c) 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry