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Dynamic Docking and Undocking Processes Addressing Selectively the Outside and Inside of Polymersomes
Author(s) -
Iyisan Banu,
Siedel Anna Charlott,
Gumz Hannes,
Yassin Mohamed,
Kluge Jörg,
Gaitzsch Jens,
Formanek Petr,
Moreno Silvia,
Voit Brigitte,
Appelhans Dietmar
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201700486
Subject(s) - polymersome , protocell , nanotechnology , ethylene glycol , membrane , amphiphile , biophysics , artificial cell , surface modification , vesicle , docking (animal) , chemistry , materials science , polymer , copolymer , biology , biochemistry , medicine , nursing , organic chemistry
Increasing complexity and diversity of polymersomes and their compartments is a key issue for mimicking cellular functions and protocells. Thus, new challenges arise in terms of achieving tunable membrane permeability and combining it with control over the membrane diffusion process, and thus enabling a localized and dynamic control of functionality and docking possibilities within or on the surface of polymeric compartments. This study reports the concept of polymersomes with pH‐tunable membrane permeability for controlling sequential docking and undocking processes of small molecules and nanometer‐sized protein mimics selectively on the inside and outside of the polymersome membrane as a further step toward the design of intelligent multifunctional compartments for use in synthetic biology and as protocells. Host–guest interactions between adamantane and β‐cyclodextrin as well as noncovalent interactions between poly(ethylene glycol) tails and β‐cyclodextrin are used to achieve selective and dynamic functionalization of the inner and outer spheres of the polymersome membrane.