Pseudo‐Membrane Jackets: Two‐Dimensional Coordination Polymers Achieving Visible Phase Separation in Cell Membrane

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie 2020-10, Vol.132 (41), p.18087-18093
• Main Authors: Ohtani, Ryo, Kawano, Kenichi, Kinoshita, Masanao, Yanaka, Saeko, Watanabe, Hikaru, Hirai, Kenji, Futaki, Shiroh, Matsumori, Nobuaki, Uji‐i, Hiroshi, Ohba, Masaaki, Kato, Koichi, Hayami, Shinya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actin; Calcium; Cell membranes; Chemical reactions; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Complex lipids; Coordination compounds; coordination polymer; Coordination polymers; Cyanides; Cytoskeleton; Lipids; Membranes; metal complex lipid; Metal ions; metal-organic framework; Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology; Offshore platforms; Phase separation; Polymers
• ISSN: 0044-8249; 1521-3757
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.202006600

Cell membranes contain lateral systems that consist of various lipid compositions and actin cytoskeleton, providing two‐dimensional (2D) platforms for chemical reactions. However, such complex 2D environments have not yet been used as a synthetic platform for artificial 2D nanomaterials. Herein, we demonstrate the direct synthesis of 2D coordination polymers (CPs) at the liquid‐cell interface of the plasma membrane of living cells. The coordination‐driven self‐assembly of networking metal complex lipids produces cyanide‐bridged CP layers with metal ions, enabling “pseudo‐membrane jackets” that produce long‐lived micro‐domains with a size of 1–5 μm. The resultant artificial and visible phase separation systems remain stable even in the absence of actin skeletons in cells. Moreover, we show the cell application of the jackets by demonstrating the enhancement of cellular calcium response to ATP. „Pseudo‐membrane jackets“ were constructed by the direct synthesis of 2D coordination polymers at a liquid‐cell interface of the plasma membrane of living cells, facilitating long‐lived micro‐domains on the plasma membrane. The artificial and visible phase separation systems remained stable even in the absence of actin skeletons in the cells. The jackets modulate cell membrane properties, allowing the enhancement of cellular calcium response to ATP.