Transition Metal Tunes Molecular Self-Assembly in Living Cells for Controlling Cell-Cell Crosstalk

This work reports a robust and versatile strategy for harnessing cell-compatible transition metal catalysts to tune peptide self-assembly precisely in living cells. The engineered cell-compatible Ru catalyst targets cell membranes by chemically tagging membrane-affinity groups and functionalizing the surfaces of living mammalian cells. The anchored Ru catalyst on the cell surface can then recognize the designed substrate and induce the self-assembly of peptides in situ through olefin metathesis. Labeling the CD8⁺ T cells and cancer cells orthogonally with the Ru catalyst and peptide substrate can detect the molecular transfer from cancer to immune cells. This work, for the first time, provides a general approach and a versatile technology for generating artificial structures of peptides by abiotic catalysts in living cells.