Supramolecular assemblies of a conjugate of nucleobase, amino acids, and saccharide act as agonists for proliferation of embryonic stem cells and development of zygotes.

The synthetic challenges in glycobiology and glycochemistry hamper the development of glycobiomaterials for biomedicine. Here we report the use of molecular self-assembly to sidestep the laborious synthesis of complex glycans for promoting the proliferation of murine embryonic stem (mES) cells. Our study shows that the supramolecular assemblies of a small molecule conjugate of nucleobase, amino acids, and saccharide, as a de novo glycoconjugate, promote the proliferation of mES cells and the development of zygotes into blastocysts of mouse. Molecular engineering confirms that each motif (i.e., adenine, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) domain, and glucosamine) is indispensable for the observed activity of the conjugate. As the first example of using assemblies of the molecular conjugates of multiple fundamental biological building blocks to control cell behaviors, this work illustrates an unprecedented approach to use supramolecular assemblies as multifunctional mimics of glycoconjugates.