Uphill Anion Transporters with Ultrahigh Efficiency Based on N-Heterocyclic Carbene Metal Complexes
Yangyang Lin1,2, Qin Fu3, Zhuorui Kang1,2
1South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Papermaking and Paper-based Materials, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
None:
Essential to the function of living systems, transmembrane ion transport in nature has inspired synthetic mimics that advance therapeutics, separations, sensing, and bioelectronics. Here, we report highly efficient and selective anion transport mediated by simple N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) organometallic compounds. Using ruthenium (Ru) as the central metal and ion binding site, we systematically investigated seven classes of organoruthenium scaffolds and found that NHC-based Ru complexes demonstrated exceptionally high activity and selectivity. Extending the study to more metals, NHC complexes of Pd, Ag, and Cu also exhibited remarkable transport efficiency, with the iPrPh-NHC organocopper compound achieving an EC50 as low as 3.6 pM, surpassing one of the most active ion transporters, prodigiosin. Notably, NHC-based organometallic transporters leverage distinct kinetics of ligand binding and membrane diffusion to generate transmembrane potentials, and drive uphill ion transport reminiscent of proton pumps and ATPases. This work provides foundations for further development of organometallic ion transporters with high efficiency, tunable selectivity, and unique functions.
More Related Videos
08:55Expression, Solubilization, and Purification of Eukaryotic Borate Transporters
Published on: March 7, 2019
12:48Measuring Cation Transport by Na,K- and H,K-ATPase in Xenopus Oocytes by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry: An Alternative to Radioisotope Assays
Published on: February 19, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Secondary Active Transport
Secondary Active Transport
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
