Genetically targeted chemical assembly of functional materials in living cells, tissues, and animals
Name
nihms-1579622.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.47 MB
Format
Unknown
Checksum (MD5)
6a12e3547d9a2b1c300ced8df281e425
Author(s)
Liu, Jia
Kim, Yoon Seok
Richardson, Claire E.
Tom, Ariane
Ramakrishnan, Charu
Birey, Fikri
Katsumata, Toru
Chen, Shucheng
Wang, Cheng
Wang, Xiao
Date Issued
March 2020
Journal
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Citation
Liu, Jia, Kim, Yoon Seok, Richardson, Claire E, Tom, Ariane, Ramakrishnan, Charu et al. 2020. "Genetically targeted chemical assembly of functional materials in living cells, tissues, and animals." Science, 367 (6484).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
© 2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved. The structural and functional complexity of multicellular biological systems, such as the brain, are beyond the reach of human design or assembly capabilities. Cells in living organisms may be recruited to construct synthetic materials or structures if treated as anatomically defined compartments for specific chemistry, harnessing biology for the assembly of complex functional structures. By integrating engineered-enzyme targeting and polymer chemistry, we genetically instructed specific living neurons to guide chemical synthesis of electrically functional (conductive or insulating) polymers at the plasma membrane. Electrophysiological and behavioral analyses confirmed that rationally designed, genetically targeted assembly of functional polymers not only preserved neuronal viability but also achieved remodeling of membrane properties and modulated cell type-specific behaviors in freely moving animals. This approach may enable the creation of diverse, complex, and functional structures and materials within living systems.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemistry
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay4866
