Biomedical subjects

Stefan Matile

Publications and source records attributed to Stefan Matile.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Synthetic ion channels with rigid-rod pi-stack architecture that open in response to charge-transfer complex formation.

We describe the design, synthesis, and evaluation of synthetic ion channels with a new rigid-rod pi-stack architecture that open in response to guest binding by aromatic electron donor-acceptor interactions. Highly cooperative and highly selective ligand gating is shown to yield anion selective, small ion channels that have the characteristic plum color of the charge-transfer complexes formed between the dialkoxynaphthalene ligands and the stacked naphthalenediimide acceptors of the channel.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Arginine magic with new counterions up the sleeve.

The elusive questions how arginine-rich sequences allow peptides and proteins to penetrate cells or to form voltage-gated ion channels are controversial topics of current scientific concern. The possible contributions of exchangeable counterions to these puzzling processes remain underexplored. The objective of this report is to clarify scope and limitations of certain counteranions to modulate cellular uptake and anion carrier activity of oligo/polyarginines. The key finding is that the efficiency of counteranion activators depends significantly on many parameters such as activator-membrane and activator-carrier interactions. This finding is important because it suggests that counteranions can be used to modulate not only efficiency but also selectivity. Specifically, activator efficiencies are found to increase with increasing aromatic surface of the activator, decreasing size of the transported anion, increasing carrier concentration as well as increasing membrane fluidity. Efficiency sequences depend on membrane composition with coronene > pyrene >>fullerene > calix[4]arene carboxylates in fluid and crystalline DPPC contrasting to fullerene > calix[4]arene approximately coronene > pyrene carboxylates in EYPC with or without cholesterol or ergosterol. In HeLa cells, the efficiency of planar activators (pyrene) exceeds that of spherical activators (fullerenes, calixarenes). Polyarginine complexes with pyrene and coronene activators exhibit exceptional excimer emission. Decreasing excimer emission with increasing ionic strength reveals dominant hydrophobic interactions with the most efficient carboxylate activators. Dominance of ion pairing with the inefficient high-affinity sulfate activators is corroborated by the reversed dependence on ionic strength. These findings on activator-carrier and activator-membrane interactions are discussed as supportive of arene-templated guanidinium-carboxylate pairing and interface-directed translocation as possible origins of the superb performance of higher arene carboxylates as activators.

Arginine↗

PubMed2005

Anionic fullerenes, calixarenes, coronenes, and pyrenes as activators of oligo/polyarginines in model membranes and live cells.

We report that the efflux of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein anions from neutral egg yolk phosphatidylcholine vesicles is mediated by oligo/polyarginines only in the presence of activating amphiphilic anions. Screening of anion activators reveals best synergism for amphiphilic carboxylates (fullerene > calix[4]arene approximately coronene > pyrene > calix[6]arene > alkyl), whereas amphiphilic sulfates show less satisfactory activation despite often lower effective concentrations. The analogous alcohols and one calix[4]arene diphosphate were inactive. These results are discussed in the context of a tentative anion carrier mechanism, where interactions with bilayer (interface-directed translocation) and carrier (arene-templated carboxylate-guanidinium pairing) contribute to activator efficiencies. Applied to HeLa cells, pyrenebutyrate is shown to significantly increase the uptake of a fluorescently labeled octaarginine in a concentration-dependent manner.

Anions↗

PubMed2005

Contributions of lipid bilayer hosts to structure and activity of multifunctional supramolecular guests.

The question of whether or not the surrounding lipid bilayer host contributes to structure and activity of included functional guests is a general topic of current scientific concern. We report that synthetic multifunctional pores are of use to address this elusive question, because the detection of their catalytic activity is membrane independent. According to their salt-rate profiles, unstable multifunctional supramolecules with permanent internal charges show highest membrane sensitivity, and the dependence of membrane sensitivity on the acidity of internal cations exceeds that on supramolecule stability. These results can, with all appropriate caution, be interpreted as indications for the existence of long-range EMP-ICR interactions (EMP: external membrane pressure, ICR: internal charge repulsion) between membrane hosts and functional guests that can, for instance, prevent the 'explosion' and promote the 'implosion' of over- and undercharged transmembrane barrel-stave supramolecules, respectively.

Lipid Bilayers↗

PubMed2005

Direct observation of anion-mediated translocation of fluorescent oligoarginine carriers into and across bulk liquid and anionic bilayer membranes.

The recent hypothesis that counteranion-mediated dynamic inversion of charge and solubility might contribute to diverse functions of oligoarginines in biomembranes was tested with two fluorescently labelled oligomers, FL-R(8), one of the most active cell-penetrating peptides, and its longer version, FL-R(16). We report evidence for counteranion-mediated phase transfer from water into bulk chloroform and anionic lipid-bilayer membranes as well as reverse-phase transfer from bulk chloroform and across intact lipid-bilayer membranes into water. The differences found between FL-R(8) and FL-R(16) with regard to location in the bilayer and reverse-phase transfer from bulk and lipid-bilayer membranes into water implied that the reported results may be relevant for biological function.

Antiporters↗

PubMed2005

Rigid-rod molecules in biomembrane models: from hydrogen-bonded chains to synthetic multifunctional pores.

Synthetic ion channels and pores formed by rigid-rod molecules are summarized. This includes work on hydrogen-bonded chains installed along membrane-spanning rigid-rod scaffolds to transport protons. As a second topic, programmed assembly of p-septiphenyls with terminal iminodiacetate-copper complexes for potassium transport by cation-pi interactions is described. The third topic concerns rigid push-pull rods as fluorescent alpha-helix mimics to probe the importance of dipole-potential interactions for voltage gating, both on the functional and the structural level. Topic number four deals with p-octiphenyl staves as key scaffolds for the synthesis of rigid-rod beta-barrel pores. The description of internal and external design strategies for these rigid-rod beta-barrels covers a rich collection of pH-, pM-, voltage-, ligand-, and enzyme-gated synthetic multifunctional pores that can act as hosts, sensors, and catalysts. As far as practical applications are concerned, the possibility to detect chemical reactions with synthetic multifunctional pores appears most attractive. Recent molecular mechanics simulations are presented as a valuable approach to insights on the elusive suprastructures of multifunctional pores made from rigid rods.

Hydrogen Bonding↗

PubMed2004

Synthetic multifunctional pores with external and internal active sites for ligand gating and noncompetitive blockage.

Design, synthesis, and multifunctionality of p-octiphenyl beta-barrel pores with external LRL triads and internal HH dyads are described. Molecular recognition of anionic fullerenes > calixarenes > pyrenes by guanidinium arrays at the outer pore surface is shown to result in pore opening, whereas alpha-helix recognition within the topologically matching internal space is shown to result in noncompetitive pore blockage. This experimental evidence for multifunctionality is supported by comparison with pertinent control pores and blockers, by structural studies using FRET from p-octiphenyl donors in the pore to BODIPY acceptors in the bilayer, and by molecular mechanics simulations. Practical usefulness of ligand-gated synthetic multifunctional pores is exemplified with the continuous detection of chemical processes.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Thermodynamic and kinetic stability of synthetic multifunctional rigid-rod beta-barrel pores: evidence for supramolecular catalysis.

The lessons learned from p-octiphenyl beta-barrel pores are applied to the rational design of synthetic multifunctional pore 1 that is unstable but inert, two characteristics proposed to be ideal for practical applications. Nonlinear dependence on monomer concentration provided direct evidence that pore 1 is tetrameric (n = 4.0), unstable, and "invisible," i.e., incompatible with structural studies by conventional methods. The long lifetime of high-conductance single pores in planar bilayers demonstrated that rigid-rod beta-barrel 1 is inert and large (d approximately 12 A). Multifunctionality of rigid-rod beta-barrel 1 was confirmed by adaptable blockage of pore host 1 with representative guests in planar (8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate, KD = 190 microM, n = 4.9) and spherical bilayers (poly-L-glutamate, KD < or = 105 nM, n = 1.0; adenosine triphosphate, KD = 240 microM, n = 2.0) and saturation kinetics for the esterolysis of a representative substrate (8-acetoxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate, KM = 0.6 microM). The thermodynamic instability of rigid-rod beta-barrel 1 provided unprecedented access to experimental evidence for supramolecular catalysis (n = 3.7). Comparison of the obtained kcat = 0.03 min(-1) with the kcat approximately 0.18 min(-1) for stable analogues gave a global KD approximately 39 microM3 for supramolecular catalyst 1 with a monomer/barrel ratio approximately 20 under experimental conditions. The demonstrated "invisibility" of supramolecular multifunctionality identified molecular modeling as an attractive method to secure otherwise elusive insights into structure. The first molecular mechanics modeling (MacroModel, MMFF94) of multifunctional rigid-rod beta-barrel pore hosts 1 with internal 1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate guests is reported.

Arginine↗

PubMed2004

Synthesis of [323]-p-octiphenyls: orthogonal functionalization along a rigid-rod scaffold for refined supramolecular architecture.

[structure: see text] The synthesis of p-octiphenyls carrying orthogonal tert-butyl esters in the peripheral positions 1(2), 2(2), 3(3), 6(2), 7(3), and 8(2) and either p-methoxybenzyl or benzyl ester substituents in the central positions 4(2) and 5(3) is described. Resolution-enhanced HSQC/HMBC two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy is implemented as an attractive method for the complete characterization of complex p-oligophenyl scaffolds.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Outer surface modification of synthetic multifunctional pores.

The characteristics of pores formed by p-octiphenyl beta-barrels with LWV triads at the outer surface are reported in comparison with the conventional rigid-rod beta-barrels with all-L outer surface. Maintained multifunctionality of tetrameric pores with external LWV triads (inversion of ion selectivity, molecular recognition and transformation) is implicative for intact barrel interior. Increased pore activity supports dominance of high bilayer affinity for W over low affinity for V. Transmembrane p-octiphenyl orientation (from fluorescence depth quenching) supports barrel-stave (rather than toroidal) pores and dominance of transmembrane preference of rigid rods over interfacial preference of W. Destabilization of beta-barrel pores in membranes (from short single-channel lifetimes) and in the media (from 4th-power dependence on monomer concentration) by LWV triads supports dominance of low beta-propensity for W over high beta-propensity for V. The relation between the stability of supramolecular (pre)pores and dependence of activity on monomer concentration is discussed in a more general context.

Ion Channels↗

PubMed2004

Role of LBPA and Alix in multivesicular liposome formation and endosome organization.

What are the components that control the assembly of subcellular organelles in eukaryotic cells? Although membranes can clearly be distorted by cytosolic factors, very little is known about the intrinsic mechanisms that control the biogenesis, shape, and organization of organellar membranes. Here, we found that the unconventional phospholipid lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA) could induce the formation of multivesicular liposomes that resembled the multivesicular endosomes that exist where this lipid is found in vivo. This process depended on the same pH gradient that exists across endosome membranes in vivo and was selectively controlled by Alix. In turn, Alix regulated the organization of LBPA-containing endosomes in vivo.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

On selectivity and sensitivity of synthetic multifunctional pores as enzyme sensors: discrimination between ATP and ADP and comparison with biological pores.

This report delineates scope and limitation of the selectivity of synthetic multifunctional pores as enzyme sensors using glycolytic enzymes as example (G. Das, P. Talukdar, and S. Matile, Science, 2002, Vol. 298, pp. 1600-1602). Unproblematic detectability of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase demonstrates that the selectivity of synthetic multifunctional pore (SMPs) sensors suffices to sense ATP in mixed analytes containing ADP, whereas detection of the isomerization of glucose 6-phosphate into fructose 6-phosphate by phosphoglucose isomerase is not possible with confidence. The sensitivity of SMP sensors is sufficient for end-point detection of one picomole poly-L-glutamate hydrolyzed by papain in unoptimized assay format; the sensitivity of melittin as representative biological pore of similar charge and aggregation number to detect the same reaction is more than four orders of magnitude inferior.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Polarized vesicles in molecular recognition and catalysis.

This account summarizes studies on chemistry in polarized vesicles with rigid-rod molecules. Examples for the recognition of and self-assembly, molecular recognition, and catalysis in polarized vesicles are discussed with emphasis on 'remote control' by dipole-potential interactions and electrostatic steering.

Catalysis↗

PubMed2004

Programmed assembly of rigid-rod beta-barrel pores: thermal inversion of chirality.

The programmed assembly of p-octiphenyl rods carrying six complementary tripeptide strands was studied in the presence of bilayer membranes using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Thermal CD experiments demonstrated programmed assembly of anionic and cationic rods into supramolecules at low temperature that irreversibly transform into more stable supramolecules at intermediate and high temperature. Higher activation energies for programmed assembly with rods containing multiple guanidinium rather than ammonium cations was consistent with stabilization by guanidinium-anion complexes. Qualitative thermal inversion of supramolecular chirality during programmed assembly was detected continuously. Inversion of supramolecular chirality occurred with decreasing solvent polarity as well.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMed2003

Anion-mediated transfer of polyarginine across liquid and bilayer membranes.

The accumulation of reports on the puzzling behavior of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers in bilayer membranes, reaching from HIV-Tat-like (HIV Tat is the human immunodeficiency virus transactivator of transcription) translocation to selectivity and voltage-gating of ion channels, prompted us to investigate possible contributions from counteranions to these phenomena. We report that anion-mediated variability of charge and solubility makes guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers adaptable to many environments. For example, poly- and hexaarginine but not polylysine phase transferred from water into chloroform in the presence of amphiphilic anions such as monomeric sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), egg yolk phosphatidylglycerol (EYPG), cholesterol sulfate, pyrenebutyrate, and stearate. Hydrophilic anions with high affinity inhibited phase transfer of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (CF)-polyarginine complexes into bulk membranes (sulfate, adenosine 5'-triphosphate, adenosine 5'-monophosphate, heparin, and micellar SDS). At least binary anion cocktails were necessary to activate polyarginine as a carrier in bulk chloroform membranes. Refined combinations of EYPG, phosphate, and azide or TFA were found to maximize translocation of CF across bulk membranes by polyarginine. Polyarginine-mediated CF efflux from large unilamellar vesicles was best in the presence of EYPG in the bilayer as well as phosphate and TFA in the medium. Similar regulatory activities of several anions were in support of a common carrier mechanism for guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers in bulk and bilayer membranes. The identified activities of polyarginine in bulk and lipid membranes suggested that anion-mediated adaptability of the solubility of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymers cannot be ignored in studies on biological function. The infinite variability and dynamic nature of available regulatory anion cocktails may contribute to the elusive character of guanidinium-rich oligo/polymer function in biomembranes.

Anions↗

PubMed2003

Synthetic multifunctional pores: lessons from rigid-rod beta-barrels.

In this account, studies on synthetic multifunctional pores formed by rigid-rod beta-barrels are summarized comprehensively. The first section outlines the evolution of synthetic multifunctional pores from the introduction of rigid-rod molecules in bioorganic chemistry and the discovery of synthetic beta-barrels in comparison with pertinent developments in related areas of research. Design strategies to position active sites at the inner surface of rigid-rod beta-barrel pores are described in the second section. The third section focuses on the characteristics of transmembrane barrel-stave pores, emphasizing the dynamic nature of supramolecular oligomers with the aid of notional phase and energy diagrams. Section four introduces multifunctionality with the use of synthetic pores as hosts of a rich collection of guests, reaching from inorganic cations to organic macromolecules like peptides, oligonucleotides, polysaccharides and polyacetylenes. In section five, practical applicability of molecular recognition by synthetic multifunctional pores is documented with non-invasive fluorometric enzyme sensing. The application of host-guest chemistry within synthetic pores to couple molecular recognition and translocation with molecular transformation is the topic of section six. The last section mentions some perspectives and challenges with synthetic multifunctional pores.

Biosensing Techniques↗

PubMed2003

Enzyme screening with synthetic multifunctional pores: focus on biopolymers.

This report demonstrates that a single set of identical synthetic multifunctional pores can detect the activity of many different enzymes. Enzymes catalyzing either synthesis or degradation of DNA (exonuclease III or polymerase I), RNA (RNase A), polysaccharides (heparinase I, hyaluronidase, and galactosyltransferase), and proteins (papain, ficin, elastase, subtilisin, and pronase) are selected to exemplify this key characteristic of synthetic multifunctional pore sensors. Because anionic, cationic, and neutral substrates can gain access to the interior of complementarily functionalized pores, such pores can be the basis for very user-friendly screening of a broad range of enzymes.

Biopolymers↗

PubMed2003

Synthetic catalytic pores.

Catalytic activity of a synthetic multifunctional pore is studied in large unilamellar vesicles under conditions where substrate and synthetic catalytic pore (SCP) approach the membrane either from the same side (cis catalysis) or from opposite sides (trans catalysis). A synthetic supramolecular rigid-rod beta-barrel with excellent ion channel characteristics is identified as SCP using 8-acetoxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (AcPTS) as model substrate. The key finding is that application of supportive membrane potentials increases the initial velocity of AcPTS esterolysis (v0). This results in an increase of Vmax beyond experimental error (+30%), whereas KM increases less significantly. Long-range electrostatic steering by the membrane potential, possibly guiding substrates into the transmembrane catalyst and, more importantly, accelerating product release (foff = 1.3) is discussed as one possible explanation of this global reduction of catalyst saturation. Control experiments show, inter alia, that similarly strong changes do not occur with opposing membrane potentials.

Alkanesulfonates↗