"If we are able to control self-sorting with artificial molecules, we can work toward developing intelligent, next-generation biomimics that possess the flexibility and diversity of functions that exist in a living cell."Hajime Shigemitsu, Kyoto University
A team of Japanese scientists has managed to get artificial molecules to display the same kind of self-sorting behavior as molecules in biological cells that can organize themselves into robust, functional fibers. In a paper in Nature Chemistry, the scientists describe how two different types of nanofibers sort themselves into organized structures under artificial conditions.
"Basic cellular structures, such as actin filaments, come into being through the autonomous self-sorting of individual molecules, even though a tremendous variety of proteins and small molecules are present inside the cell," explains lead author Hajime Shigemitsu, a researcher in Itaru Hamachi's lab at Kyoto University.
"Imagine a box filled with an assortment of building blocks – it's as if the same type of blocks started sorting themselves into neat bundles all on their own," he adds. "In living cells, such phenomena always happen, enabling accurate self-assembling of proteins, which is essential for cell functions.
"If we are able to control self-sorting with artificial molecules, we can work toward developing intelligent, next-generation biomimics that possess the flexibility and diversity of functions that exist in a living cell."
Study co-author Ryou Kubota explains that previous research groups have already made artificial molecules build themselves into fibers – but only when there was one type of molecule around. Having a jumble of types, on the other hand, just confuses the whole self-sorting process.
"The difficulty in inducing self-assembly with artificial molecules is that they don't recognize the same type of molecule, unlike molecules in the natural world," Kubota explains. "Different types of artificial molecules interact with each other and make an unsorted cluster."
From a database of structural analyses, Hamachi and colleagues discovered a combination of nanofibers – a peptide-based and a lipid-based hydrogelator – that would assemble themselves into sorted fibers. By attaching fluorescent probes to the fibers, they were able to use a fluorescent microscope to observe directly and in real-time how the artificial molecules sorted themselves.
"Ultimately, this finding could help develop new materials that respond dynamically to different environments and stimuli," elaborates Hamachi. "This insight is not only useful for materials science, but may also provide useful clues for understanding self-organization in cells."
This story is adapted from material from Kyoto University, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.