Site-selected in situ polymerization for living cell surface engineering.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Cell surface engineering with polymers offers potential for biotechnology and cell therapy.
• Precise control over polymer grafting sites on cell surfaces is crucial but often overlooked.
• Current methods lack site-specificity, limiting biomimicry and functional modulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a site-specific, in situ polymerization platform for living cell surface engineering.
• To enable precise control over polymer grafting locations on cell membranes.
• To investigate the impact of site-specific polymer growth on cell behavior and recognition.

Main Methods:

• Utilized metabolic labeling techniques to direct polymer growth to specific cellular sites (glycans, proteins, lipids).
• Developed a cytocompatible Fenton-RAFT polymerization technique for in situ polymer growth.
• Performed in situ copolymerization of glycomonomers on cell surface glycans.

Main Results:

• Achieved site-specific polymer grafting on living cells, controlling growth locations.
• Demonstrated differential membrane retention times and effects on glycan recognition based on polymer attachment site.
• Successfully engineered a biomimetic glycocalyx with altered recognition properties via in situ glycomonomer copolymerization.

Conclusions:

• The developed platform allows for unprecedented control over cell surface polymer architecture.
• Site-specific polymer grafting can modulate cellular recognition behaviors and membrane dynamics.
• This approach advances biomimicry for cell surface engineering, with implications for cell therapy and diagnostics.