SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY OF SYNTHETIC AMPHIPHILES

所有细胞都被一层膜包围，该膜阻止不受欢迎的分子(如毒素)进入细胞，但允许营养物质进入细胞，并将废物排出。自然界控制通过膜的分子类型的能力是生物功能的核心。大自然通过将具有复杂化学结构的蛋白质嵌入到膜中来完成这一任务。这些蛋白质形成小通道，允许特定分子通过，但拒绝其他分子。虽然自然通道在生物学中的重要性得到了很好的认识，但设计出与其生物类似物具有相同功能的人工通道是非常具有挑战性的。在这项研究项目中，密苏里大学圣路易斯分校的乔治·戈克尔教授正在研究插入类脂膜的相对简单分子的运输能力。创造人工膜通道来调节特定分子的通过的能力可能会影响从生物和医学到水净化的各种应用，这些问题具有重大的社会意义。此外，该项目还为研究生和博士后学者提供跨学科科学方面的科学培训。控制插入膜，操纵离子和分子运输的选择性和方向，以及了解通道周围膜的组织，是超分子化学中的主要挑战。在化学部大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，Gokel实验室开发了各种新型结构，这些结构可以穿透脂质双层，并选择性地通过膜传输阳离子和分子。这项研究通过使用大量的技术来询问它们的性质和作用机制，从而加深了对膜穿透化合物的理解。长期目标是建立设计合成结构的基本原则，这些结构可以取代复杂的蛋白质，介导特定分子进入特定类型的细胞。

All cells are surrounded by a membrane that keeps undesirable molecules (like toxins) from entering, but allows the passage of nutrients into the cell, and waste products out. The ability of nature to control the types of molecules that pass through the membrane is central to biological function. Nature accomplishes this task by embedding proteins with complex chemical structures into the membrane. These proteins form small channels that allow specific molecules through, but reject others. While the importance of natural channels in biology is well-appreciated, the design of artificial channels that exhibit the same functionality as their biological analogs is immensely challenging. In this research project, Professor George Gokel at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis is studying the transport capabilities of relatively simple molecules inserted into lipid membranes. The ability to create artificial membrane channels that mediate the passage of specific molecules could impact applications ranging from biology and medicine to water purification, problems with significant societal importance. In addition, this project is providing scientific training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in interdisciplinary science. Controlling insertion into a membrane, manipulating the selectivity and direction of ion and molecule transport, and understanding the organization of the membrane around the channels, present major challenges in supramolecular chemistry. With support from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry program in the Division of Chemistry, the Gokel Lab develops a variety of novel structures that penetrate lipid bilayers and selectively transport cations and molecules through the membranes. This research enhances understanding of membrane penetrating compounds by using a plethora of techniques to interrogate their properties and functional mechanisms. The long-term goal is to establish fundamental principles for designing synthetic structures that can substitute complex proteins in mediating the passage of specific molecules into specific types of cells.