Bioorthogonal Swarming: In Situ Generation of Dendrimers
Yichuan Zhang, Muhammed Üçüncü, Alessia Gambardella, Assel Baibek, Jin Geng, Shuo Zhang, Jessica Clavadetscher, Inga Litzen, Mark Bradley, Annamaria Lilienkampf
Abstract
With the aid of bioorthogonal chemistry, we demonstrate the fabrication of synthetic dendrimers in situ around living cells. Using tetrazine dienophile and aminooxyl/hydrazide aldehyde chemistries, the density of functional groups on the dendrimers exponentially amplified intensities of fluorescent markers in antibody-targeted live cell imaging. This novel "swarming" approach highlights the power of bioorthogonal chemistry and provides a route to non-natural chemical structures on cells, paving the way for the generation of various artificial cellular nanostructures and scaffolds.
Topics & Concepts
ChemistryBioorthogonal chemistryDendrimerIn situSwarming (honey bee)Combinatorial chemistryNanotechnologyOrganic chemistryClick chemistryEcologyMaterials scienceBiologyRNA Interference and Gene DeliveryClick Chemistry and ApplicationsChemical Synthesis and Analysis