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Insight on The Intracellular Supramolecular Assembly of DTTO: A Peculiar Example of Cell Driven Polymorphism.

Ludovico AloisioMatteo MoschettaAlex BoschiAriel García FleitasMattia ZangoliIlaria VenturinoVito VurroArianna MagniRaffaello MazzaroVittorio MorandiAndrea CandiniCosimo D'AndreaGiuseppe Maria PaternòMassimo GazzanoGuglielmo LanzaniFrancesca Di Maria
Published in: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (2023)
The assembly of supramolecular structures within living systems is an innovative approach for introducing artificial constructs and developing bio-materials capable of influencing and/or regulating the biological responses of living organisms. By integrating chemical, photophysical, morphological, and structural characterizations, we show that the cell-driven assembly of DTTO into fibers results in the formation of a "biological assisted" polymorphic form, hence the term bio-polymorph. Indeed, X-ray diffraction revealed that cell-grown DTTO fibers present a unique molecular packing leading to specific morphological, optical, and electrical properties. Monitoring the process of fibers formation in cells with time-resolved photoluminescence, we established that cellular machinery is necessary for fibers production and postulated a non-classical nucleation (NCC) mechanism for their growth. These biomaterials may have disruptive applications in the stimulation and sensing of living cells, but more crucially, the study of their genesis and properties broadens our understanding of life beyond the native components of cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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