Anion bridged nanosheet from self-assembled G-quadruplexes

Anion mediated, tunable isoguanosine self-assemblies: decoding the conformation influence and solvent effects

Systematic investigations were performed with various substituted groups at C8 purine and ribose. A series of isoG analogs, C8-phenyl substituted isoG were synthesized and applied for Cs+ coordination. The structural proximity between purine and ribose limited pentaplex formation for C8-phenyl substituted isoG derivatives. Based on this observation, deoxy isoG derivative with modification on ribose (tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether) was applied to assemble with the Cs+ cation. Critical solvent (CDCl3 and CD3CN) and anion (BPh4 -, BARF-, and PF6 -) effects were revealed, leading to the controllable formation of various stable isoG pentaplexes, including singly charged decamer, doubly charged decamer, and 15-mer, etc. Finally, the X-ray crystal structure of [isoG20Cs3]3+(BARF-)3 was successfully obtained, which is the first example of multiple-layer deoxy isoG binding with the Cs+ cation, providing solid evidence of this new isoG ionophore beyond two-layer sandwich self-assembly.

Reversed Cation Selectivity of G8 -Octamer and G16 -Hexadecamer towards Monovalent and Divalent Cations

A reverse-binding-selectivity between monovalent and divalent cations was observed for two different self-assembly G16 -hexadecamer and G8 -octamer systems. The dissociation constant between G4 -quadruplex and monomer was calculated via VT-1 H NMR experiments. Quantitative energy profiles revealed entropy as the key factor for the weaker binding toward Ba2+ compared with K+ in the G8 -octamer system despite stronger ion-dipole interactions. This study is the first direct comparison of the G4 -quartet binding affinity between mono and divalent cations and will benefit future applications of G-quadruplex-related research. Further competition experiments between the G8 -octamer and 18-crown-6 with K+ demonstrated the potential of this G8 system as a new potassium receptor.

Aromatic and hydrophobic surfaces of wood-derived biochar enhance perchlorate adsorption via hydrogen bonding to oxygen-containing organic groups

The pH-dependent adsorption of perchlorate (ClO4(-)) by wood-derived biochars produced at 200-700 °C (referred as FB200-FB700) was investigated to probe the anion retention mechanisms of biochars and to identify the interactions of water and biochar. ClO4(-) adsorption was controlled by the surface polarities and structural compositions of the organic components of biochars, rather than their inorganic mineral components. FB500-FB700 biochars with low polarity and high aromaticity displayed a superior ClO4(-) adsorption capacity, but which was affected by solution pH. Besides electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding to oxygen-containing groups on biochars was proposed the dominant force for perchlorate adsorption, which led to the maximum adsorption occurring near pHIEP, where surface charge equals zero. The dissociation of these surface oxygen-containing groups was monitored by zeta potential curves, which indicated that the H-bonds donors on biochar surface for ClO4(-) binding were changed from -COOH (ClO4(-)···HOOC-) and -OH (ClO4(-)···HO-) to -OH alone with an increase in pH. The H-bond force was strengthened by the condensed aromatic surfaces, since high temperature biochars provided a hydrophobic microenvironment to accommodate weakly hydrated perchlorate and facilitated the H-bonds for ClO4(-) binding to functional groups by the large π subunit of their aromatic substrate. Lastly, the batch and column tests of ClO4(-) adsorption showed that biochars like FB700 are effective adsorbents for anion pollutant removal via H-bonding interaction.

Growth mechanisms of 2D organic assemblies generated from dialkylated melaminium derivatives: the length difference of the two alkyl chains that matters

This research is aimed to understand the growth mechanisms for self-assembly of dialkylated melamine derivatives. The dialkylated melamine derivatives with different alkyl chains (Mela-m-n) are able to self-assemble with hydrochloric acid in dichloromethane to form 2D organic assemblies, exhibiting similar lamellar structures as Mela-n·HCl with identical alkyl chains. The most interesting finding is that the growth mechanism of Mela-n·HCl with identical alkyl chains is revealed to be layer growth, while Mela-m-n·HCl with asymmetric alkyl chains adopts a spiral growth mechanism. The asymmetric alkyl chains in Mela-m-n may lead to the formation of dislocation, which is responsible for the spiral growth mechanism.

Diffusion and birefringence of bioactive dyes in a supramolecular guanosine hydrogel

Transparent self-standing supramolecular hydrogels were readily prepared by the potassium-ion-mediated self-organization of guanosine and 8-bromoguanosine whilst the individual components precipitated within a few hours. VT-NMR spectroscopy showed that bromoguanosine was a superior gelator compared to guanosine. XRD analysis showed that gel formation was caused by stacked G-quartets. AFM analysis revealed dendritic architectures of the nanofibers in the two-component hydrogel network. DSC profiles showed that the hybrid hydrogels underwent sol-gel transition at lower temperature than the pure guanosine and bromoguanosine hydrogels. Interestingly, bioactive dyes, such as rose bengal, rhodamine-6-G, and fluorescein, could be diffused and released in a controlled manner. UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and CLSM were used to investigate the diffusion behavior of dyes in the hydrogel network. These dyes exhibited strong birefringence in the gel network (0.07-0.1) as a result of the anisotropic organization.

Identifying guanosine self assembly at natural isotopic abundance by high-resolution 1H and 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy

By means of the (1)H chemical shifts and the proton-proton proximities as identified in (1)H double-quantum (DQ) combined rotation and multiple-pulse spectroscopy (CRAMPS) solid-state NMR correlation spectra, ribbon-like and quartet-like self-assembly can be identified for guanosine derivatives without isotopic labeling for which it was not possible to obtain single crystals suitable for diffraction. Specifically, characteristic spectral fingerprints are observed for dG(C10)(2) and dG(C3)(2) derivatives, for which quartet-like and ribbon-like self-assembly has been unambiguously identified by (15)N refocused INADEQUATE spectra in a previous study of (15)N-labeled derivatives (Pham, T. N.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2005, 127, 16018). The NH (1)H chemical shift is observed to be higher (13-15 ppm) for ribbon-like self-assembly as compared to 10-11 ppm for a quartet-like arrangement, corresponding to a change from NH···N to NH···O intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The order of the two NH(2)(1)H chemical shifts is also inverted, with the NH(2) proton closest in space to the NH proton having a higher or lower (1)H chemical shift than that of the other NH(2) proton for ribbon-like as opposed to quartet-like self-assembly. For the dG(C3)(2) derivative for which a single-crystal diffraction structure is available, the distinct resonances and DQ peaks are assigned by means of gauge-including projector-augmented wave (GIPAW) chemical shift calculations. In addition, (14)N-(1)H correlation spectra obtained at 850 MHz under fast (60 kHz) magic-angle spinning (MAS) confirm the assignment of the NH and NH(2) chemical shifts for the dG(C3)(2) derivative and allow longer range through-space N···H proximities to be identified, notably to the N7 nitrogens on the opposite hydrogen-bonding face.

Interactions of cytidine with N2-functionalized guanosines and cytidine – cytidine exchange involving a GC pair — NMR and fluorescence spectroscopic study

Two N2-functionalized guanosines by diphenylaminobiphenyl and di(2-pyridyl)aminobiphenyl have been found to act as the effective probes for G–C interactions in organic media. Because of the highly emissive nature of the N2-functionalized guanosines in the visible region, the GC base pair formation event accompanied by distinct fluorescence quenching can be readily monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. NMR and fluorescence results confirm that the N2-arylguanosines form H-bonded pairs with cytidine, selectively. An unusual exchange pathway between non-bound cytidine and bound cytidine, in the GC pair, has been identified and extensively studied by NMR methods.

Guanosine hydrogen-bonded scaffolds: a new way to control the bottom-up realisation of well-defined nanoarchitectures

Over the last two decades, guanosine-related molecules have been of interest in different areas, ranging from structural biology to medicinal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. The guanine base is a multiple hydrogen-bonding unit, capable also of binding to cations, and fits very well with contemporary studies in supramolecular chemistry, self-assembly and non-covalent synthesis. This Concepts article, after reviewing on the diversification of self-organised assemblies from guanosine-based low-molecular-weight molecules, will mainly focus on the use of guanine moiety as a potential scaffold for designing functional materials of tailored physical properties.