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Single-chain heteropolymers transport protons selectively and rapidly
Open accessAbstract
Precise protein sequencing and folding are believed to generate the structure and chemical diversity of natural channels 1,2, both of which are essential to synthetically achieve proton transport performance comparable to that seen in natural systems. Geometrically defined channels have been fabricated using peptides, DNAs, carbon nanotubes, sequence-defined polymers and organic frameworks 3-13. However, none of these channels rivals the performance observed in their natural counterparts. Here we show that without forming an atomically structured channel, four-monomer-based random heteropolymers (RHPs)14 can mimic membrane proteins and exhibit selective proton transport across lipid bilayers at a rate similar to those of natural proton channels. Statistical control over the monomer distribution in an RHP leads to segmental heterogeneity in hydrophobicity, which facilitates the insertion of single RHPs into the lipid bilayers. It also results in bilayer-spanning segments containing polar monomers that promote the formation of hydrogen-bonded chains 15,16 for proton transport. Our study demonstrates the importance of the adaptability that is enabled by statistical similarity among RHP chains and of the modularity provided by the chemical diversity of monomers, to achieve uniform behaviour in heterogeneous systems. Our results also validate statistical randomness as an unexplored approach to realize protein-like behaviour at the single-polymer-chain level in a predictable manner.
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“Therefore, we aimed to statistically replicate the sequence features of functional classes through ideal random copolymerization of the six functional monomers, which has minimal composition drift during polymerization and enables statistically controlled sequences19,27–29.”
From Data-driven de novo design of super-adhesive hydrogels (2025) · cites this paper as [29]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Jiang, T., Hall, A., Eres, M., Hemmatian, Z., Qiao, B., Zhou, Y., Ruan, Z., Couse, A. D., Heller, W. T., Huang, H., de la Cruz, M. O., Rolandi, M., & Xu, T.
- Affiliations
- Xiamen University (CN)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- Northwestern University (US)
- Indiana University Bloomington (US)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Xu, Ting
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2020-01-08
- Volume
- 577
- Issue
- 7789
- Pages
- 216-220
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2999129979
- Cited by
- 122
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10
- FWCI
- 4.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.osti.gov
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DRYAD (public-domain)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (DEAC02-05CH11231, W911NF-13)
- U.S. Department of Defense (DE-AC02-05CH11231)
- U.S. Department of Energy (-AC02-05CH11231, DE‐FG02‐, DEFG0208ER46539, 05CH11231, DE AC02 05CH11231, FG02-08ER46539, DE-AC02-)
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- Sherman Fairchild Foundation
- National Institutes of Health (1s10od024998-01, DE-AC02–05CH11231)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (DE-AC02-05CH11231)
- Office of Science (DEAC02–05CH11231, AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02)
- Division of Materials Research
- Basic Energy Sciences (DE-AC02, DE-FG02-08ER46539, DE-AC02-05CH11231., DE-FG02, AC02–05CH11231)
- Army Research Office (DE-AC02-05CH11231, W911NF- 13-1-0232, W911NF-13-1-, W911NF-13, W911NF)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (DE-AC0205CH11231)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes
- Keywords
- random heteropolymers, proton transport, lipid bilayers, ion selectivity, artificial ion channels, membrane mimetics, hydrogen-bonded chains, statistical randomness
- MeSH terms
- Lipid Bilayers, Lipids, Models, Molecular, Molecular Conformation, Polymers, Protons
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