Schiff Base Reaction in a Living Cell: In Situ Synthesis of a Hollow Covalent Organic Polymer To Regulate Biological Functions

Han-Bin Xu; Hua-Ying Chen; Jian Lv; Bin-Bin Chen; Ze-Rui Zhou; Shuai Chang; Ya-Ting Gao; Wen-Fei Huang; Ming-Jie Ye; Zi-Jian Cheng; Mahmoud Elsayed Hafez; Ruo-Can Qian; Da-Wei Li

doi:10.1002/anie.202311002

Schiff Base Reaction in a Living Cell: In Situ Synthesis of a Hollow Covalent Organic Polymer To Regulate Biological Functions

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023 Oct 26;62(44):e202311002. doi: 10.1002/anie.202311002. Epub 2023 Sep 25.

Authors

Han-Bin Xu¹, Hua-Ying Chen¹, Jian Lv¹, Bin-Bin Chen^{1

2}, Ze-Rui Zhou¹, Shuai Chang¹, Ya-Ting Gao¹, Wen-Fei Huang¹, Ming-Jie Ye¹, Zi-Jian Cheng¹, Mahmoud Elsayed Hafez^{1

3}, Ruo-Can Qian¹, Da-Wei Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology & Dynamic Chemistry, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China.
² School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen City, Guangdong, 518172, P. R. China.
³ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt.

PMID: 37714815
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202311002

Abstract

Artificially performing chemical reactions in living biosystems to attain various physiological aims remains an intriguing but very challenging task. In this study, the Schiff base reaction was conducted in cells using Sc(OTf)₃ as a catalyst, enabling the in situ synthesis of a hollow covalent organic polymer (HCOP) without external stimuli. The reversible Schiff base reaction mediated intracellular Oswald ripening endows the HCOP with a spherical, hollow porous structure and a large specific surface area. The intracellularly generated HCOP reduced cellular motility by restraining actin polymerization, which consequently induced mitochondrial deactivation, apoptosis, and necroptosis. The presented intracellular synthesis system inspired by the Schiff base reaction has strong potential to regulate cell fate and biological functions, opening up a new strategic possibility for intervening in cellular behavior.

Keywords: Biological Function Regulation; Hollow Covalent Organic Polymers; Intracellular Schiff Base Reaction; in Situ Biosynthesis.

MeSH terms

Polymers*
Schiff Bases* / chemistry

Substances

Schiff Bases
Polymers