End-capping of amphiphilic nanotubes with phospholipid vesicles: impact of the phospholipid on the cap formation and vesicle loading under osmotic conditions

Molecular photoswitches in aqueous environments

Molecular photoswitches enable dynamic control of processes with high spatiotemporal precision, using light as external stimulus, and hence are ideal tools for different research areas spanning from chemical biology to smart materials. Photoswitches are typically organic molecules that feature extended aromatic systems to make them responsive to (visible) light. However, this renders them inherently lipophilic, while water-solubility is of crucial importance to apply photoswitchable organic molecules in biological systems, like in the rapidly emerging field of photopharmacology. Several strategies for solubilizing organic molecules in water are known, but there are not yet clear rules for applying them to photoswitchable molecules. Importantly, rendering photoswitches water-soluble has a serious impact on both their photophysical and biological properties, which must be taken into consideration when designing new systems. Altogether, these aspects pose considerable challenges for successfully applying molecular photoswitches in aqueous systems, and in particular in biologically relevant media. In this review, we focus on fully water-soluble photoswitches, such as those used in biological environments, in both in vitro and in vivo studies. We discuss the design principles and prospects for water-soluble photoswitches to inspire and enable their future applications.

Fast synthesis and redox switching of di- and tetra-substituted bisthioxanthylidene overcrowded alkenes

A rapid and efficient method for the synthesis of overcrowded alkenes using (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane provides a range of substituted bisthioxanthylidenes. We show large conformational redox switching from folded to orthogonal states, which tolerates many substitution patterns. The facile access to bisthioxanthylidene switches with the potential for further functionalization, in combination with the reliable redox chemistry, provides major opportunities for the design of electrochemically responsive systems.

Protein-Polymer Microcapsules for PCR Technology

Protein-polymer microcapsules have attracted much attention, due to their special features and potential in biological use. How to make the most of this type of bio-abiotic hybrid material is an intriguing question. Nevertheless, several unsatisfactory technical issues significantly limited the application of these materials. For instance, introducing various biomolecules and crosslinking for the capsules remains challenging and problematic. In this report, recombinant mCherry protein was covalently linked with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) to form amphiphilic protein-polymer conjugates, which assembled into microcapsules. These microcapsules are thermoresistant and can be used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this setting, the reactant molecules can be readily and easily introduced into the microcapsules, and crosslinking and water-oil phase transition are not necessary. This protein-polymer microcapsule PCR system has potential in various biological applications.