The establishment of endosymbiotic relationships has played a crucial role in the evolution of eukaryotic life, allowing for the development of complex multicellular organisms. Among existing model...

Behringer et al. show how coarse-grained computational methods uncover long range mechanical connectivities in HCN channels. Complementary to high-resoluti

Polymer functionalization of mesoporous materials is crucial for a range of technologies including separation and sensing. In this study, we investigate the influence of monomer charge on enzyme-catalyzed polymerizations in mesoporous silica particles. Specifically, we copolymerize various charged monomers, such as potassium 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate (KSPMA), [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METAC), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (MEP), and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), with the positively charged fluorescent comonomer rhodamine-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (RhoB-HEMA), using enzyme-catalyzed surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-bioATRP). The polymerizations were performed in mesoporous spherical silica particles with average pore diameters of 23, 21, 17, and 12 nm using hemoglobin (Hb) as the catalyst. By adjusting the ratio of the fluorescent comonomer RhoB-HEMA to the charged monomers, the amount of the fluorescent comonomer in the polymers can be varied. Size-restricted accessibility of hemoglobin and small molecules, such as monomers to mesopores, especially when the pore neck diameter was smaller than the size of the protein, led to polymer formation mostly in the outer regions of the particles. Larger mesopores led to a homogeneous distribution of copolymers throughout the particles and to a higher overall polymer content within the mesoporous structures. These findings provide insights into the possibilities of functionalizing silica mesopores with polyelectrolytes via enzymatic SI-bioATRP, while the fluorescent comonomer enabled direct visualization of the copolymers by fluorescence microscopy. We anticipate that this approach will further advance the field of polymerization in confined nanoporous environments.

Genetic circuits are a cornerstone of synthetic biology, enabling programmable control of cellular behavior for applications in health, sustainability, and biotechnology. While Genetic Design Automati...

Synthetic riboswitches are a burgeoning regulatory tool in the field of molecular biology. Here, the authors explore the unique features of synthetic riboswitches, highlight key applications, assess c...

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is increasingly used as an alternative to chlorine in oxidative water treatment to mitigate the formation of halogenated disinfection byproducts. However, ClO2 can generate in ...

Extrusion-based additive manufacturing is one of the most widely used 3D printing technologies. However, achieving reliable results, especially with challenging materials, still requires in-depth p...

Irregular monoterpenes have limited natural sources but possess unique activities applicable in medicine and agriculture. To enable sustainable plant-based p...

Glucose oxidase (GOx) is a widely used and studied enzyme, yet it continues to surprise with previously unknown activities. We report GOx to initiate radical polymerizations of acrylamides and methacr...