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A Voltage‐Responsive Synthetic Cl − ‐Channel Regulated by pH
Author(s) -
Zheng ShaoPing,
Jiang JiJun,
Lee Arie,
Barboiu Mihail
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202008393
Subject(s) - light gated ion channel , protonation , chemistry , ion , ion channel , antiporter , ion transporter , lipid bilayer , membrane , transmembrane channels , voltage gated ion channel , transmembrane protein , biophysics , chemical physics , biochemistry , organic chemistry , receptor , biology
Transmembrane protein channels are an important inspiration for the design of artificial ion channels. Their dipolar structure helps overcome the high energy barrier to selectively translocate water and ions sharing one pathway, across the cell membrane. Herein, we report that the amino‐imidazole (Imu) amphiphiles self‐assemble via multiple H‐bonding to form stable artificial Cl − ‐channels within lipid bilayers. The alignment of water/Cl − wires influences the conduction of ions, envisioned to diffuse along the hydrophilic pathways; at acidic pH, Cl − /H + symport conducts along a partly protonated channel, while at basic pH, higher Cl − /OH − antiport translocate through a neutral channel configuration, which can be greatly activated by applying strong electric field. This voltage/pH regulated channel system represents an unexplored alternative for ion‐pumping along artificial ion‐channels, parallel to that of biology.