Monitoring Receptor Clustering by Aggregation-Induced Emission

This study introduces a simple signal transduction system that mimics the receptor tyrosine kinase mechanism by employing amphiphilic receptors embedded in lipid bilayers. The designed receptors carry bisphosphonate head groups and feature aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) properties. Upon addition of polyammonium messengers, they undergo ligand-induced dimerization or clustering inside the membrane. Steric restriction of intramolecular motion in the AIE luminophores sends out a fluorescence signal. Systematic comparative studies highlight the impact of receptor design, lipid environment and messenger properties on the efficiency, kinetics, and strength of signal transduction. These findings provide new insight into the interplay between receptor aggregation and membrane organization in controlling fluorescence-based signaling systems. Practical perspectives and inherent limitations are critically discussed.