| Popis: |
Scientists have been fascinated for decades with the ability of nature to form self‐assembled structures of various configurations. One such configuration is a spiral or a helix. The (double) helical geometrical configuration is a well‐known secondary structure of DNA; however, DNA is not the only biological system possessing this shape. Spirals have been found in a variety of biological and synthetic systems, one of which is bile in the gallbladder. In this system, helical ribbons appear as metastable intermediates in the process of cholesterol crystallization that leads to the formation of gallstones. The bile system is particularly interesting and unique due to the richness in variety of the helical structures formed. Understanding the mechanisms for nature’s self‐assembly of helical ribbons is crucial in both the prevention of gallstone disease and in developing potential technological and medical applications. We describe a model bile system, composed of three major components of native bile in water... |
