Mimicking Biological Recognition: Lessons in Binding Hydrophilic Guests in Water

Selective molecular recognition of hydrophilic guests in water plays a fundamental role in a vast number of biological processes, but synthetic mimicry of biomolecular recognition in water still proves challenging both in terms of achieving comparable affinities and selectivities. This Review highli...

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Veröffentlicht in:Chemistry : a European journal 2021-04, Vol.27 (22), p.6620-6644
Hauptverfasser: Ferguson Johns, Hannah P., Harrison, Emily E., Stingley, Kyla J., Waters, Marcey L.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Selective molecular recognition of hydrophilic guests in water plays a fundamental role in a vast number of biological processes, but synthetic mimicry of biomolecular recognition in water still proves challenging both in terms of achieving comparable affinities and selectivities. This Review highlights strategies that have been developed in the field of supramolecular chemistry to selectively and non‐covalently bind three classes of biologically relevant molecules: nucleotides, carbohydrates, and amino acids. As several groups have systematically modified receptors for a specific guest, an evolutionary perspective is also provided in some cases. Trends in the most effective binding forces for each class are described, providing insight into selectivity and potential directions for future work. Hydrophilic guests are particularly challenging to selectively bind in water, but selective recognition of hydrophilic molecules is vital in biological processes. In this Review, strategies to develop synthetic receptors that address this challenge are highlighted, with application to nucleotides, carbohydrates, and amino acids. This body of work provides general insights as well as future directions for the field.
ISSN:0947-6539
1521-3765
DOI:10.1002/chem.202003759