A "Holey" Supramolecular Approach to the Detection of Enzyme Activity

Abstract

Roll out the barrel: Transmembrane channels can be made to act as a component of a sensor if control of transport across a membrane can be linked to a separate chemical process occurring in the system. A new high-throughput fluorometric method for monitoring enzyme activity that employs selective blocking (see figure) and unblocking of synthetic peptidic channels has been developed. The channels consist of β-barrels constructed from a rigid octiphenyl stave to which short peptide chains are attached. By changing their amino acid residues, it is possible to tune the barrel's solubility and transport ability.