Repository logo
 

Artificial transmembrane signal transduction mediated by dynamic covalent chemistry.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Bravin, Carlo 
Duindam, Nol 
Hunter, Christopher A  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5182-1859

Abstract

Reversible formation of covalent adducts between a thiol and a membrane-anchored Michael acceptor has been used to control the activation of a caged enzyme encapsulated inside vesicles. A peptide substrate and papain, caged as the mixed disulfide with methane thiol, were encapsulated inside vesicles, which contained Michael acceptors embedded in the lipid bilayer. In the absence of the Michael acceptor, addition of thiols to the external aqueous solution did not activate the enzyme to any significant extent. In the presence of the Michael acceptor, addition of benzyl thiol led to uncaging of the enzyme and hydrolysis of the peptide substrate to generate a fluorescence output signal. A charged thiol used as the input signal did not activate the enzyme. A Michael acceptor with a polar head group that cannot cross the lipid bilayer was just as effective at delivering benzyl thiol to the inner compartment of the vesicles as a non-polar Michael acceptor that can diffuse across the bilayer. The concentration dependence of the output signal suggests that the mechanism of signal transduction is based on increasing the local concentration of thiol present in the vesicles by the formation of Michael adducts. An interesting feature of this system is that enzyme activation is transient, which means that sequential addition of aliquots of thiol can be used to repeatedly generate an output signal.

Description

Keywords

34 Chemical Sciences

Journal Title

Chem Sci

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-6520
2041-6539

Volume Title

12

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Sponsorship
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Marie Sk?odowska-Curie actions (837706)
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie-Sklodowska Curie grant agreement No 837706; Backer foundation