1.D.190. The Mechanosensitive Fluorinated Amphiphilic Cyclophane Potassium Channel (FAC-KCh) Family

A fluorinated amphiphilic cyclophane composed of fluorinated rigid aromatic units connected via flexible hydrophilic octa(ethylene glycol) chains has been designed (Sato et al. 2022). The cyclophane was incorporated into the hydrophobic layer of lipid bilayer membranes, and it self-assembled to form a supramolecular transmembrane potassium-conducting ion channel. Ion transport was sensitive to mechanical forces applied to the membranes. Channel structures at atomic resolution were determined. This is the first example of a synthetic mechanosensitive potassium channel (Sato et al. 2022).

References:

Sato, K., R. Sasaki, R. Matsuda, M. Nakagawa, T. Ekimoto, T. Yamane, M. Ikeguchi, K.V. Tabata, H. Noji, and K. Kinbara. (2022). Supramolecular Mechanosensitive Potassium Channel Formed by Fluorinated Amphiphilic Cyclophane. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144: 11802-11809.