Biodiscovery Institute, School of Pharmacy, Division of Regenerative Medicine and Cellular Therapies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, 95343, USA.
Small. 2021 Aug;17(32):e2102517. doi: 10.1002/smll.202102517. Epub 2021 Jul 16.
Cells modulate their homeostasis through the control of redox reactions via transmembrane electron transport systems. These are largely mediated via oxidoreductase enzymes. Their use in biology has been linked to a host of systems including reprogramming for energy requirements in cancer. Consequently, the ability to modulate membrane redox systems may give rise to opportunities to modulate underlying biology. The current work aims to develop a wireless bipolar electrochemical approach to form on-demand electron transfer across biological membranes. To achieve this goal, it is shown that by using membrane inserted carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) that can act as bipolar nanoelectrodes, one can control electron flow with externally applied electric fields across membranes. Before this work, bipolar electrochemistry has been thought to require high applied voltages not compatible with biological systems. It is shown that bipolar electrochemical reaction via gold reduction at the nanotubes can be modulated at low cell-friendly voltages, providing an opportunity to use bipolar electrodes to control electron flux across membranes. The authors provide new mechanistic insight into this newly describe phenomena at the nanoscale. The results presented give rise to a new method using CNTPs to modulate cell behavior via wireless control of membrane electron transfer.
细胞通过跨膜电子传递系统来控制氧化还原反应,从而调节其内稳态。这些系统主要由氧化还原酶介导。它们在生物学中的应用与许多系统相关,包括为癌症的能量需求进行重编程。因此,调节膜氧化还原系统的能力可能为调节潜在生物学提供机会。本研究旨在开发一种无线双极电化学方法,以在生物膜上按需形成电子传递。为了实现这一目标,研究表明,通过使用可以作为双极纳米电极的膜插入碳纳米管孔蛋白 (CNTP),可以通过施加的外部电场控制跨膜的电子流。在此之前,人们认为双极电化学需要不兼容生物系统的高应用电压。研究表明,通过纳米管上的金还原进行双极电化学反应可以在低细胞友好电压下进行调节,从而为使用双极电极控制跨膜电子通量提供了机会。作者提供了这种新现象在纳米尺度上的新的机制见解。所呈现的结果提出了一种使用 CNTP 通过无线控制膜电子传递来调节细胞行为的新方法。