Fluorescence Turn-on Synthetic Lipid Rafts on Supramolecular Sheets and Hierarchical Concanavalin A Assembly

Here we report fluorescence turn-on synthetic lipid rafts by self-assembly of a cationic distyrylanthracene derivative on a negatively-charged sheet in an aqueous solution. First, the negatively-charged 2D membrane structure is formed by lateral associations of aromatic rods with carboxylate groups. Then, the synthetic rafts are floated on the surface of the negatively-charged sheets through electrostatic interactions. The fluorescence of the synthetic rafts is turned on due to the aggregation of the positively-charged AIE dye on the sheets, facilitating monitoring of the formation of rafts. Concanavalin A (Con A) protein can load hierarchically onto the synthetic rafts at neutral pH to provide discrete Con A aggregates with a uniform size of ≈12 nm. The uniform aggregates of Con A on the synthetic rafts can stimulate Jurkat cells with enhanced efficiency, as compared with random-sized aggregates of Con A.