Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Nat Commun. 2021 Apr 14;12(1):2235. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22563-9.
Biomembrane curvature formation has long been observed to be essential in the change of membrane morphology and intracellular processes. The significant importance of curvature formation has attracted scientists from different backgrounds to study it. Although magnificent progress has been achieved using liposome models, the instability of these models restrict further exploration. Here, we report a new approach to mimic biomembrane curvature formation using polymersomes as a model, and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to induce the local curvature based on its co-nonsolvency phenomenon. Curvatures form when poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) becomes hydrophobic and inserts into the membrane through solvent addition. The insertion area can be fine-tuned by adjusting the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) concentration, accompanied by the formation of new polymersome-based non-axisymmetric shapes. Moreover, a systematic view of curvature formation is provided through investigation of the segregation, local distribution and dissociation of inserted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). This strategy successfully mimicks biomembrane curvature formation in polymersomes and a detailed observation of the insertion can be beneficial for a further understanding of the curvature formation process. Furthermore, polymer insertion induced shape changing could open up new routes for the design of non-axisymmetric nanocarriers and nanomachines to enrich the boundless possibilities of nanotechnology.
生物膜曲率的形成长期以来一直被认为是改变膜形态和细胞内过程所必需的。曲率形成的重要性吸引了来自不同背景的科学家对其进行研究。尽管使用脂质体模型取得了巨大的进展，但这些模型的不稳定性限制了进一步的探索。在这里，我们报告了一种使用聚合物囊泡作为模型模拟生物膜曲率形成的新方法，通过其共非溶剂现象诱导局部曲率形成。当聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺）变得疏水并通过添加溶剂插入到膜中时，曲率就会形成。通过调节聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺）的浓度可以精细调整插入区域，同时形成基于新聚合物囊泡的非轴对称形状。此外，通过研究插入的聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺）的分离、局部分布和解离，提供了曲率形成的系统视图。该策略成功地在聚合物囊泡中模拟了生物膜曲率的形成，并且对插入的详细观察有助于进一步理解曲率形成过程。此外，聚合物插入诱导的形状变化可能为非轴对称纳米载体和纳米机器的设计开辟新途径，丰富纳米技术的无限可能性。
