荷兰瓦赫宁根大学的Sprakel, Joris团队报道了从头开始的基于DNA的捕获键。相关研究成果发表在2024年6月24日出版的《自然—化学》。

所有初级化学相互作用在机械应力作用下都会减弱，这对由它们构成的材料施加了基本的机械限制。生物材料将可塑性与强度结合在一起，大自然为此进化出了一种独特的解决方案——捕获键，即在张力下增强的超分子相互作用。生物捕获键使用力门控构象开关将弱键转换为强键。到目前为止，捕获键仍然是自然界独有的，使其在合成系统中作为机械适应元件的潜力尚未开发。

该文中，研究人员报道了人工捕获键的设计和实现。从一组最小的热力学设计要求开始，创建了一个能够捕获键合的分子基序。它由一个具有神秘结构域的DNA双链体组成，该结构域在张力下展开以加强相互作用。研究发现，这些捕获键重新产生了力增强的滚动粘附力，这是细菌和白细胞中生物捕获键的标志性特征。

该文将捕获物键引入合成领域，并可能导致人工捕获物键合材料的产生。

附：英文原文

Title: De novo DNA-based catch bonds

Author: van Galen, Martijn, Bok, Annemarie, Peshkovsky, Taieesa, van der Gucht, Jasper, Albada, Bauke, Sprakel, Joris

Issue&Volume: 2024-06-24

Abstract: All primary chemical interactions weaken under mechanical stress, which imposes fundamental mechanical limits on the materials constructed from them. Biological materials combine plasticity with strength, for which nature has evolved a unique solution—catch bonds, supramolecular interactions that strengthen under tension. Biological catch bonds use force-gated conformational switches to convert weak bonds into strong ones. So far, catch bonds remain exclusive to nature, leaving their potential as mechanoadaptive elements in synthetic systems untapped. Here we report the design and realization of artificial catch bonds. Starting from a minimal set of thermodynamic design requirements, we created a molecular motif capable of catch bonding. It consists of a DNA duplex featuring a cryptic domain that unfolds under tension to strengthen the interaction. We show that these catch bonds recreate force-enhanced rolling adhesion, a hallmark feature of biological catch bonds in bacteria and leukocytes. This Article introduces catch bonds into the synthetic domain, and could lead to the creation of artificial catch-bonded materials.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01571-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-024-01571-4