Chemical Cascading Between Polymersomal Nanoreactor Populations

[EN] Harnessing interactions of functional nano-compartments to generate larger particle assemblies allows studying diverse biological behaviors based on their population states and can lead to the development of smart materials. Herein, thiol-functionalized polymersome nanoreactors are utilized as responsive organelle-like nano-compartments-with inherent capacity to associate into larger aggregates in response to change in the redox state of their environment-to study the kinetics of cascade reactions and explore functions of their collective under different population states. Two nanoreactor populations, glucose oxidase- and horseradish peroxidase-loaded polymersomes, are prepared, and the results of their cascading upon addition of glucose are investigated. The kinetics of resorufin production in associated polymersomes and non-associated polymersome populations are compared, observing a decreased rate upon association. For the associated populations, faster chemical cascading is found when the two types of nanoreactors are associated in a concerted step, as compared to sequential association. The addition of competing agents such as catalase impacts the communication between non-associated polymersomes, whereas such an effect is less pronounced for the associated ones. Altogether, the results showcase the impact of collective associations on enzymatic cascading between organelle-like nanoreactors.Y.A. and A.L.-L. contributed equally to this work. The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (Gravitation program 024.001.035 and Spinoza premium) and the ERC Advanced Grant (Artisym 694120).A.L.-L. acknowledges support from the MSCA Cofund project oLife, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Grant Agreement 847675; and the Maria Zambrano Program from the Spanish Government funded by NextGenerationEU from the European Union. Dr. Imke Pijpers is thanked for cryo-TEM imaging. Dr. Pascal Welzen is acknowledged for advice and useful discussion on polymer and polymersome preparation.Altay, Y.; Llopis-Lorente, A.; Abdelmohsen, LKEA.; Van Hest, JC. (2023). Chemical Cascading Between Polymersomal Nanoreactor Populations. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics. 224(1):1-5. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.20220026915224

Toward Interdisciplinary Synergies in Molecular Communications: Perspectives from Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, Communications Engineering and Philosophy of Science

Within many chemical and biological systems, both synthetic and natural, communication via chemical messengers is widely viewed as a key feature. Often known as molecular communication, such communication has been a concern in the fields of synthetic biologists, nanotechnologists, communications engineers, and philosophers of science. However, interactions between these fields are currently limited. Nevertheless, the fact that the same basic phenomenon is studied by all of these fields raises the question of whether there are unexploited interdisciplinary synergies. In this paper, we summarize the perspectives of each field on molecular communications, highlight potential synergies, discuss ongoing challenges to exploit these synergies, and present future perspectives for interdisciplinary efforts in this area

A new class of silica-supported chromo-fluorogenic chemosensors for anion recognition based on a selenourea scaffold

[EN] The first example of a chemosensor (L) containing a selenourea moiety is described here. L is able to colorimetrically sense the presence of CN- and S2- in H2O: MeCN (75 : 25, v/v). Moreover, when L is loaded into functionalised mesoporous silica nanoparticles an increase in the selectivity towards S2- occurs via a selective fluorescence response.The authors thank the financial support from the Fondazione Banco di Sardegna, the Spanish Government, European FEDER funds (project MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEOII/2014/047). A. Llopis-Lorente is grateful to the "La Caixa'' Banking Foundation for his PhD fellowship. Dr Tiziana Pivetta is gratefully acknowledged for help with the interpretation of the mass spectra.Casula, A.; Llopis-Lorente, A.; Garau, A.; Isaia, F.; Kubicki, M.; Lippolis, V.; Sancenón Galarza, F.... (2017). A new class of silica-supported chromo-fluorogenic chemosensors for anion recognition based on a selenourea scaffold. 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Achieving Control in Micro-/Nanomotor Mobility

Unprecedented opportunities exist for the generation of advanced nanotechnologies based on synthetic micro/nanomotors (MNMs), such as active transport of medical agents or the removal of pollutants. In this regard, great efforts have been dedicated toward controlling MNM motion (e.g., speed, directionality). This was generally performed by precise engineering and optimizing of the motors′ chassis, engine, powering mode (i.e., chemical or physical), and mechanism of motion. Recently, new insights have emerged to control motors mobility, mainly by the inclusion of different modes that drive propulsion. With high degree of synchronization, these modes work providing the required level of control. In this Minireview, we discuss the diverse factors that impact motion; these include MNM morphology, modes of mobility, and how control over motion was achieved. Moreover, we highlight the main limitations that need to be overcome so that such motion control can be translated into real applications