Journal
NATURE CHEMISTRY
Volume 11, Issue 6, Pages 578-586Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/s41557-019-0240-y
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- European Research Council [ADREEM ERC-2013-340469]
- Rosetrees Trust [A865]
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
- Chinese Scholarship Council
- Wellcome Trust [WT104915MA]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Polymerization reactions conducted inside cells must be compatible with the complex intracellular environment, which contains numerous molecules and functional groups that could potentially prevent or quench polymerization reactions. Here we report a strategy for directly synthesizing unnatural polymers in cells through free radical photopolymerization using a number of biocompatible acrylic and methacrylic monomers. This offers a platform to manipulate, track and control cellular behaviour by the in cellulo generation of macromolecules that have the ability to alter cellular motility, label cells by the generation of fluorescent polymers for long-term tracking studies, as well as generate a variety of nanostructures within cells. It is remarkable that free radical polymerization chemistry can take place within such complex cellular environments. This demonstration opens up a multitude of new possibilities for how chemists can modulate cellular function and behaviour and for understanding cellular behaviour in response to the generation of free radicals.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available