1.D.135. The Synthetic Anisotropic Ligand-responsive NanoPore (SAL-NP) Family

Muraoka et al. 2020 have designed and synthesized organic, anisotropic, ligand-responsive, multipass, transmembrane ion channels. A non-symmetrical molecular structure allowed oriented insertion of the synthetic amphiphile into a bilayer by addition to a pre-formed membrane. Complexation with a ligand prompts ion transport by forming a supramolecular channel, and removal of the ligand inactivates the transport function. Biomimetic regulation of the synthetic channel by agonistic and antagonistic ligands was demonstrated, not only in an artificial membrane but also in the biological membrane of a living cell (Muraoka et al. 2020).