RT Journal Article
T1 Dynamic Covalent Boronate Chemistry for In Situ Formation, Interfacial Stabilization, and Cytomimetic Optimization of Coacervates
A1 Delgado González, Bruno
A1 García Abuin, Lucas
A1 Jiménez López, Celia
A1 Fernández Megía, Eduardo
K1 Aromatic compounds
K1 Fluorescence
K1 Hydrocarbons
K1 Membranes
K1 Peptides and proteins
AB Bioinspired synthetic cells are rapidly transforming the way we interrogate the principles of cellular life and the development of bioengineering and medical applications. However, despite significant progress in modeling cell-like behavior, material engineering remains a time-consuming and often behind-the-scenes endeavor when optimizing cytomimetic functions. Here, we describe how dynamic covalent chemistry can be used to bypass this bottleneck using membranized coacervate microdroplets (MCM) as synthetic cell models. Specifically, the potential of dynamic covalent boronate chemistry for the in situ formation, interfacial stabilization, and adaptive cytomimetic optimization of MCM is presented. Simultaneous addition of cationic and anionic catechols to a polymeric boronic acid (BA) generates dynamic zwitterionic polyboronates that spontaneously phase separate into microdroplets, which can then be interfacially stabilized as MCM with a BA-functionalized block copolymer. The cytomimetic properties, membranization, internal dynamics, and enzymatic activity within the MCM can be modulated in situ using dynamic covalent libraries to fine-tune material properties (either by adjusting the charge ratio between oppositely charged catechols, varying the catechol-to-BA ratio, or introducing auxiliary catechol dopants) without the need to synthesize, isolate, purify, and characterize new polymeric materials. Application of this technology to other catechols, multivalent BA, and synthetic cell architectures holds promise for optimizing diverse biomimetic functions and providing programmable synthetic cells with emerging properties
PB American Chemical Society
SN 0002-7863
YR 2026
FD 2026-02-27
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46644
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46644
LA eng
NO Delgado González, B., García-Abuín, L., Jiménez-López, C., & Fernández-Megía, E. (2026) Dynamic Covalent Boronate Chemistry for In Situ Formation, Interfacial Stabilization, and Cytomimetic Optimization of Coacervates, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 148(9), 9346-9357. 10.1021/jacs.5c17688
NO This work was supported by grants PID2021-127684OB-I00 and PID2024-162826OB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERDF. The authors also thank financial support from Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2022/21, and Centro de Investigación do Sistema Universitario de Galicia accreditation 2023-2027, ED431G 2023/03) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund─ERDF). B.D.G. thanks Xunta de Galicia for a predoctoral grant.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026