Enzyme-Mimicking "All-Nucleotide" G-Quadruplex Hydrogel as a Dual-Function Microreactor for Biomimetic Cascade...

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Biomaterials science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Biomolecular condensation creates microenvironments for chemical reactions.
• Minimal small-molecule catalytic systems using condensation are underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an "all-nucleotide" platform for self-assembling catalytic systems.
• To investigate the role of nucleotide structure in hierarchical self-assembly and biocatalysis.

Main Methods:

• Co-assembly of guanosine 5 -monophosphate (GMP) with adenosine phosphate derivatives (AMP, ADP, ATP).
• Characterization of supramolecular structures (networks, hydrogels) using biophysical techniques.
• Evaluation of hydrogels as metal-free peroxidase mimics and for enzyme encapsulation.

Main Results:

• GMP and adenosine phosphates (ADP, ATP) self-assemble into G-quadruplex-based networks and hydrogels.
• Phosphate multiplicity and acidity control hierarchical organization; ADP shows superior organization.
• The resulting hydrogels exhibit efficient, metal-free peroxidase-like activity and can encapsulate enzymes.

Conclusions:

• Established a minimalistic strategy for integrating biomolecular condensation with catalysis.
• Demonstrated the potential of nucleotide-based hydrogels as artificial microreactors and for advanced biocatalysis.
• Highlighted the utility in protocell-inspired materials and sensitive biomolecule detection.