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Synthetic Macrocycle Nanopore for Potassium-Selective Transmembrane Transport
D. Qiao, , H. Zhu, F. Wang, Y. Xu, J. Gao, F. Huang, A. Aksimentiev, J. Feng
Published in American Chemical Society
2021
PMID: 34403582
Volume: 143
   
Issue: 39
Pages: 15975 - 15983
Abstract
Reproducing the structure and function of biological membrane channels, synthetic nanopores have been developed for applications in membrane filtration technologies and biomolecular sensing. Stable stand-alone synthetic nanopores have been created from a variety of materials, including peptides, nucleic acids, synthetic polymers, and solid-state membranes. In contrast to biological nanopores, however, furnishing such synthetic nanopores with an atomically defined shape, including deliberate placement of each and every chemical group, remains a major challenge. Here, we introduce a chemosynthetic macromolecule—extended pillararene macrocycle (EPM)—as a chemically defined transmembrane nanopore that exhibits selective transmembrane transport. Our ionic current measurements reveal stable insertion of individual EPM nanopores into a lipid bilayer membrane and remarkable cation type-selective transport, with up to a 21-fold selectivity for potassium over sodium ions. Taken together, direct chemical synthesis offers a path tode novodesign of a new class of synthetic nanopores with custom transport functionality imprinted in their atomically defined chemical structure. © 2021 American Chemical Society
About the journal
JournalData powered by TypesetJournal of the American Chemical Society
PublisherData powered by TypesetAmerican Chemical Society
ISSN00027863