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In situ real-time imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres

Abstract

Self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres—a multicomponent system that consists of several types of fibre, each composed of distinct building units—play a crucial role in complex, well-organized systems with sophisticated functions, such as living cells. Designing and controlling self-sorting events in synthetic materials and understanding their structures and dynamics in detail are important elements in developing functional artificial systems. Here, we describe the in situ real-time imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibre hydrogels consisting of a peptide gelator and an amphiphilic phosphate. The use of appropriate fluorescent probes enabled the visualization of self-sorted fibres entangled in two and three dimensions through confocal laser scanning microscopy and super-resolution imaging, with 80 nm resolution. In situ time-lapse imaging showed that the two types of fibre have different formation rates and that their respective physicochemical properties remain intact in the gel. Moreover, we directly visualized stochastic non-synchronous fibre formation and observed a cooperative mechanism.

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Figure 1: Self-sorting of supramolecular nanofibres.
Figure 2: In situ imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres by CLSM and STED.
Figure 3: Evaluation of physical and chemical properties of supramolecular nanofibres using CLSM.
Figure 4: Formation process for supramolecular nanofibres evaluated by CD spectroscopy and in situ real-time imaging.
Figure 5: In situ real-time imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank K. Matsuda, M. Suginome and Y. Nagata (Kyoto University) for CD spectra measurements, U. Schwarz (Leica Microsystems) for STED microscopy, Y. Sato (Carl Zeiss Microimaging Co.) for making 3D CLSM images and T. Hirose (Kyoto University) for support with TEM. The authors acknowledge financial support from the CREST (Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology) programme of JST (the Japan Science and Technology Agency).

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M.I. and I.H. conceived the project. S.O. and T.T. synthesized and characterized the compounds. S.O. and H.S. measured and analysed the CD spectra. S.O., H.S. and T.Y. obtained the TEM, CLSM and STED images. H.S. conducted FRAP experiments. S.O. and H.S. performed in situ real-time imaging of fibre formation and degradation. The manuscript was written by S.O., H.S., R.K. and I.H. and edited by all co-authors.

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Correspondence to Itaru Hamachi.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Onogi, S., Shigemitsu, H., Yoshii, T. et al. In situ real-time imaging of self-sorted supramolecular nanofibres. Nature Chem 8, 743–752 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2526

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