TY - JOUR A1 - Lambov, Martin A1 - Hensiek, Nicola A1 - Pöppler, Ann‐Christin A1 - Lehmann, Matthias T1 - Columnar Liquid Crystals from Star‐Shaped Conjugated Mesogens as Nano‐Reservoirs for Small Acceptors JF - ChemPlusChem N2 - Shape‐persistent conjugated mesogens with oligothiophene arms of different lengths have been synthesized. Such mesogens possess free intrinsic space between their conjugated arms. They form columnar liquid‐crystalline phases, in which the void is filled by dense helical packing in the neat phase similar to an oligo(phenylene vinylene) derivative of equal size. The void can also be compensated by the inclusion of the small acceptor molecule 2,4,7‐trinitrofluorenone. In solution, the acceptor interacts with the core as the largest π‐surface, while in the solid material, it is incorporated between the arms and sandwiched by the star‐shaped neighbours along the columnar assemblies. The TNF acceptors are not nanosegregated from the star‐shaped donors, thus the liquid crystal structure converts to a nano‐reservoir for TNF (endo‐receptor). These host–guest arrangements are confirmed by comprehensive X‐ray scattering experiments and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. This results in ordered columnar hexagonal phases at high temperatures, which change to helical columnar mesophases or to columnar soft crystals at room temperature. KW - donor-acceptor interactions KW - host-guest systems KW - intrinsic free space KW - liquid crystals KW - mesogens Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218014 VL - 85 IS - 10 SP - 2219 EP - 2229 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geiger, Nina A1 - Kersting, Louise A1 - Schlegel, Jan A1 - Stelz, Linda A1 - Fähr, Sofie A1 - Diesendorf, Viktoria A1 - Roll, Valeria A1 - Sostmann, Marie A1 - König, Eva-Maria A1 - Reinhard, Sebastian A1 - Brenner, Daniela A1 - Schneider-Schaulies, Sibylle A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Seibel, Jürgen A1 - Bodem, Jochen T1 - The acid ceramidase is a SARS-CoV-2 host factor JF - Cells N2 - SARS-CoV-2 variants such as the delta or omicron variants, with higher transmission rates, accelerated the global COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies need to be deployed. The inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), interfering with viral entry by fluoxetine was reported. Here, we described the acid ceramidase as an additional target of fluoxetine. To discover these effects, we synthesized an ASM-independent fluoxetine derivative, AKS466. High-resolution SARS-CoV-2–RNA FISH and RTqPCR analyses demonstrate that AKS466 down-regulates viral gene expression. It is shown that SARS-CoV-2 deacidifies the lysosomal pH using the ORF3 protein. However, treatment with AKS488 or fluoxetine lowers the lysosomal pH. Our biochemical results show that AKS466 localizes to the endo-lysosomal replication compartments of infected cells, and demonstrate the enrichment of the viral genomic, minus-stranded RNA and mRNAs there. Both fluoxetine and AKS466 inhibit the acid ceramidase activity, cause endo-lysosomal ceramide elevation, and interfere with viral replication. Furthermore, Ceranib-2, a specific acid ceramidase inhibitor, reduces SARS-CoV-2 replication and, most importantly, the exogenous supplementation of C6-ceramide interferes with viral replication. These results support the hypotheses that the acid ceramidase is a SARS-CoV-2 host factor. KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - ceramides KW - ceramidase KW - fluoxetine KW - acid sphingomyelinase Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286105 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 11 IS - 16 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Okuda, Takumi A1 - Lenz, Ann-Kathrin A1 - Seitz, Florian A1 - Vogel, Jörg A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - A SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme for site-specific RNA alkylation in living cells JF - Nature Chemistry N2 - Post-transcriptional RNA modification methods are in high demand for site-specific RNA labelling and analysis of RNA functions. In vitro-selected ribozymes are attractive tools for RNA research and have the potential to overcome some of the limitations of chemoenzymatic approaches with repurposed methyltransferases. Here we report an alkyltransferase ribozyme that uses a synthetic, stabilized S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) analogue and catalyses the transfer of a propargyl group to a specific adenosine in the target RNA. Almost quantitative conversion was achieved within 1 h under a wide range of reaction conditions in vitro, including physiological magnesium ion concentrations. A genetically encoded version of the SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme (SAMURI) was expressed in HEK293T cells, and intracellular propargylation of the target adenosine was confirmed by specific fluorescent labelling. SAMURI is a general tool for the site-specific installation of the smallest tag for azide-alkyne click chemistry, which can be further functionalized with fluorophores, affinity tags or other functional probes. KW - Alkyltransferase Ribozyme SAMURI KW - Site-specific RNA labelling KW - bioorthogonal SAM analogue ProSeDMA KW - Chemical modification KW - RNA Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328762 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weh, Manuel A1 - Shoyama, Kazutaka A1 - Würthner, Frank T1 - Preferential molecular recognition of heterochiral guests within a cyclophane receptor JF - Nature Communications N2 - The discrimination of enantiomers by natural receptors is a well-established phenomenon. In contrast the number of synthetic receptors with the capability for enantioselective molecular recognition of chiral substrates is scarce and for chiral cyclophanes indicative for a preferential binding of homochiral guests. Here we introduce a cyclophane composed of two homochiral core-twisted perylene bisimide (PBI) units connected by p-xylylene spacers and demonstrate its preference for the complexation of [5]helicene of opposite helicity compared to the PBI units of the host. The pronounced enantio-differentiation of this molecular receptor for heterochiral guests can be utilized for the enrichment of the P-PBI-M-helicene-P-PBI epimeric bimolecular complex. Our experimental results are supported by DFT calculations, which reveal that the sterically demanding bay substituents attached to the PBI chromophores disturb the helical shape match of the perylene core and homochiral substrates and thereby enforce the formation of syndiotactic host-guest complex structures. Hence, the most efficient substrate binding is observed for those aromatic guests, e. g. perylene, [4]helicene, phenanthrene and biphenyl, that can easily adapt in non-planar axially chiral conformations due to their inherent conformational flexibility. In all cases the induced chirality for the guest is opposed to those of the embedding PBI units, leading to heterochiral host-guest structures. KW - coordination chemistry KW - molecular capsules KW - stereochemistry Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357750 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brenner, Daniela A1 - Geiger, Nina A1 - Schlegel, Jan A1 - Diesendorf, Viktoria A1 - Kersting, Louise A1 - Fink, Julian A1 - Stelz, Linda A1 - Schneider-Schaulies, Sibylle A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Bodem, Jochen A1 - Seibel, Jürgen T1 - Azido-ceramides, a tool to analyse SARS-CoV-2 replication and inhibition — SARS-CoV-2 is inhibited by ceramides JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Recently, we have shown that C6-ceramides efficiently suppress viral replication by trapping the virus in lysosomes. Here, we use antiviral assays to evaluate a synthetic ceramide derivative α-NH2-ω-N3-C6-ceramide (AKS461) and to confirm the biological activity of C6-ceramides inhibiting SARS-CoV-2. Click-labeling with a fluorophore demonstrated that AKS461 accumulates in lysosomes. Previously, it has been shown that suppression of SARS-CoV-2 replication can be cell-type specific. Thus, AKS461 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Huh-7, Vero, and Calu-3 cells up to 2.5 orders of magnitude. The results were confirmed by CoronaFISH, indicating that AKS461 acts comparable to the unmodified C6-ceramide. Thus, AKS461 serves as a tool to study ceramide-associated cellular and viral pathways, such as SARS-CoV-2 infections, and it helped to identify lysosomes as the central organelle of C6-ceramides to inhibit viral replication. KW - ceramides KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - azido-ceramides KW - sphingolipids Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313581 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 24 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Noll, Niklas A1 - Würthner, Frank T1 - Bioinspired water preorganization in confined space for efficient water oxidation catalysis in metallosupramolecular ruthenium architectures JF - Accounts of Chemical Research N2 - Conspectus Nature has established a sustainable way to maintain aerobic life on earth by inventing one of the most sophisticated biological processes, namely, natural photosynthesis, which delivers us with organic matter and molecular oxygen derived from the two abundant resources sunlight and water. The thermodynamically demanding photosynthetic water splitting is catalyzed by the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (OEC-PSII), which comprises a distorted tetramanganese–calcium cluster (CaMn\(_4\)O\(_5\)) as catalytic core. As an ubiquitous concept for fine-tuning and regulating the reactivity of the active site of metalloenzymes, the surrounding protein domain creates a sophisticated environment that promotes substrate preorganization through secondary, noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions. Based on the high-resolution X-ray structure of PSII, several water channels were identified near the active site, which are filled with extensive hydrogen-bonding networks of preorganized water molecules, connecting the OEC with the protein surface. As an integral part of the outer coordination sphere of natural metalloenzymes, these channels control the substrate and product delivery, carefully regulate the proton flow by promoting pivotal proton-coupled electron transfer processes, and simultaneously stabilize short-lived oxidized intermediates, thus highlighting the importance of an ordered water network for the remarkable efficiency of the natural OEC. Transferring this concept from nature to the engineering of artificial metal catalysts for fuel production has fostered the fascinating field of metallosupramolecular chemistry by generating defined cavities that conceptually mimic enzymatic pockets. However, the application of supramolecular approaches to generate artificial water oxidation catalysts remained scarce prior to our initial reports, since such molecular design strategies for efficient activation of substrate water molecules in confined nanoenvironments were lacking. In this Account, we describe our research efforts on combining the state-of-the art Ru(bda) catalytic framework with structurally programmed ditopic ligands to guide the water oxidation process in defined metallosupramolecular assemblies in spatial proximity. We will elucidate the governing factors that control the quality of hydrogen-bonding water networks in multinuclear cavities of varying sizes and geometries to obtain high-performance, state-of-the-art water oxidation catalysts. Pushing the boundaries of artificial catalyst design, embedding a single catalytic Ru center into a well-defined molecular pocket enabled sophisticated water preorganization in front of the active site through an encoded basic recognition site, resulting in high catalytic rates comparable to those of the natural counterpart OEC-PSII. To fully explore their potential for solar fuel devices, the suitability of our metallosupramolecular assemblies was demonstrated under (electro)chemical and photocatalytic water oxidation conditions. In addition, testing the limits of structural diversity allowed the fabrication of self-assembled linear coordination oligomers as novel photocatalytic materials and long-range ordered covalent organic framework (COF) materials as recyclable and long-term stable solid-state materials for future applications. KW - catalysts KW - catalytic activity KW - ligands KW - macrocycles KW - water oxidation KW - ruthenium Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-361232 SN - 0001-4842 VL - 57 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kirchner, Philipp H. A1 - Schramm, Louis A1 - Ivanova, Svetlana A1 - Shoyama, Kazutaka A1 - Würthner, Frank A1 - Beuerle, Florian T1 - A water-stable boronate ester cage JF - Journal of the American Chemical Society N2 - The reversible condensation of catechols and boronic acids to boronate esters is a paradigm reaction in dynamic covalent chemistry. However, facile backward hydrolysis is detrimental for stability and has so far prevented applications for boronate-based materials. Here, we introduce cubic boronate ester cages 6 derived from hexahydroxy tribenzotriquinacenes and phenylene diboronic acids with ortho-t-butyl substituents. Due to steric shielding, dynamic exchange at the Lewis acidic boron sites is feasible only under acid or base catalysis but fully prevented at neutral conditions. For the first time, boronate ester cages 6 tolerate substantial amounts of water or alcohols both in solution and solid state. The unprecedented applicability of these materials under ambient and aqueous conditions is showcased by efficient encapsulation and on-demand release of β-carotene dyes and heterogeneous water oxidation catalysis after the encapsulation of ruthenium catalysts. KW - absorption KW - hydrocarbons KW - materials KW - organic compounds KW - stability KW - boronate esters Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-361245 SN - 0002-7863 VL - 146 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brünnert, Daniela A1 - Seupel, Raina A1 - Goyal, Pankaj A1 - Bach, Matthias A1 - Schraud, Heike A1 - Kirner, Stefanie A1 - Köster, Eva A1 - Feineis, Doris A1 - Bargou, Ralf C. A1 - Schlosser, Andreas A1 - Bringmann, Gerhard A1 - Chatterjee, Manik T1 - Ancistrocladinium A induces apoptosis in proteasome inhibitor-resistant multiple myeloma cells: a promising therapeutic agent candidate JF - Pharmaceuticals N2 - The N,C-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid ancistrocladinium A belongs to a novel class of natural products with potent antiprotozoal activity. Its effects on tumor cells, however, have not yet been explored. We demonstrate the antitumor activity of ancistrocladinium A in multiple myeloma (MM), a yet incurable blood cancer that represents a model disease for adaptation to proteotoxic stress. Viability assays showed a potent apoptosis-inducing effect of ancistrocladinium A in MM cell lines, including those with proteasome inhibitor (PI) resistance, and in primary MM cells, but not in non-malignant blood cells. Concomitant treatment with the PI carfilzomib or the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat strongly enhanced the ancistrocladinium A-induced apoptosis. Mass spectrometry with biotinylated ancistrocladinium A revealed significant enrichment of RNA-splicing-associated proteins. Affected RNA-splicing-associated pathways included genes involved in proteotoxic stress response, such as PSMB5-associated genes and the heat shock proteins HSP90 and HSP70. Furthermore, we found strong induction of ATF4 and the ATM/H2AX pathway, both of which are critically involved in the integrated cellular response following proteotoxic and oxidative stress. Taken together, our data indicate that ancistrocladinium A targets cellular stress regulation in MM and improves the therapeutic response to PIs or overcomes PI resistance, and thus may represent a promising potential therapeutic agent. KW - multiple myeloma KW - ancistrocladinium A KW - naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids KW - proteasome inhibitor resistance KW - RNA splicing KW - cellular stress response KW - proteasome subunit beta type-5 (PSMB5) KW - activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) KW - ataxia teleagiectasia mutated (ATM) KW - H2A histone family member X (H2AX) Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362887 SN - 1424-8247 VL - 16 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schneider, Tilman A1 - Seebauer, Florian A1 - Beuerle, Florian A1 - Würthner, Frank T1 - A monodisperse, end‐capped Ru(bda) oligomer with outstanding performance in heterogeneous electrochemical water oxidation JF - Advanced Materials Technologies N2 - AbstractWater oxidation catalysis is a key step for sustainable fuel production by water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen. The synthesis of a novel coordination oligomer based on four Ru(bda) (bda = 2,2′‐bipyridine‐6,6′‐dicarboxylate) centers, three 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bpy) linkers, and two 4‐picoline (4‐pic) end caps is reported. The monodispersity of this tetranuclear compound is characterized by NMR techniques. Heterogeneous electrochemical water oxidation after immobilization on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) shows catalytic performance unprecedented for this compound class, with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 133 s\(^{−1}\) and a turnover number (TON) of 4.89 × 10\(^6\), at a current density of 43.8 mA cm\(^{−2}\) and a potential of 1.45 V versus normal hydrogen electrode (NHE). KW - water oxidation catalysis KW - coordination oligomers KW - electrocatalysis KW - heterogeneous catalysis KW - renew-able fuels KW - ruthenium bda complexes KW - water splitting Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-363133 SN - 2365-709X VL - 9 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dostál, Jakub A1 - Fennel, Franziska A1 - Koch, Federico A1 - Herbst, Stefanie A1 - Würthner, Frank A1 - Brixner, Tobias T1 - Direct observation of exciton–exciton interactions JF - Nature Communications N2 - Natural light harvesting as well as optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices depend on efficient transport of energy following photoexcitation. Using common spectroscopic methods, however, it is challenging to discriminate one-exciton dynamics from multi-exciton interactions that arise when more than one excitation is present in the system. Here we introduce a coherent two-dimensional spectroscopic method that provides a signal only in case that the presence of one exciton influences the behavior of another one. Exemplarily, we monitor exciton diffusion by annihilation in a perylene bisimide-based J-aggregate. We determine quantitatively the exciton diffusion constant from exciton–exciton-interaction 2D spectra and reconstruct the annihilation-free dynamics for large pump powers. The latter enables for ultrafast spectroscopy at much higher intensities than conventionally possible and thus improves signal-to-noise ratios for multichromophore systems; the former recovers spatio–temporal dynamics for a broad range of phenomena in which exciton interactions are present. KW - energy transfer KW - self-assembly KW - optical spectroscopy Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226271 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - He, Tao A1 - Wu, Yanfei A1 - D'Avino, Gabriele A1 - Schmidt, Elliot A1 - Stolte, Matthias A1 - Cornil, Jérôme A1 - Beljonne, David A1 - Ruden, P. Paul A1 - Würthner, Frank A1 - Frisbie, C. Daniel T1 - Crystal step edges can trap electrons on the surfaces of n-type organic semiconductors JF - Nature Communications N2 - Understanding relationships between microstructure and electrical transport is an important goal for the materials science of organic semiconductors. Combining high-resolution surface potential mapping by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) with systematic field effect transport measurements, we show that step edges can trap electrons on the surfaces of single crystal organic semiconductors. n-type organic semiconductor crystals exhibiting positive step edge surface potentials display threshold voltages that increase and carrier mobilities that decrease with increasing step density, characteristic of trapping, whereas crystals that do not have positive step edge surface potentials do not have strongly step density dependent transport. A device model and microelectrostatics calculations suggest that trapping can be intrinsic to step edges for crystals of molecules with polar substituents. The results provide a unique example of a specific microstructure–charge trapping relationship and highlight the utility of surface potential imaging in combination with transport measurements as a productive strategy for uncovering microscopic structure–property relationships in organic semiconductors. KW - electronic and spintronic devices KW - electronic devices KW - scanning probe microscopy Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227957 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoernes, Thomas Philipp A1 - Faserl, Klaus A1 - Juen, Michael Andreas A1 - Kremser, Johannes A1 - Gasser, Catherina A1 - Fuchs, Elisabeth A1 - Shi, Xinying A1 - Siewert, Aaron A1 - Lindner, Herbert A1 - Kreutz, Christoph A1 - Micura, Ronald A1 - Joseph, Simpson A1 - Höbartner, Claudia A1 - Westhof, Eric A1 - Hüttenhofer, Alexander A1 - Erlacher, Matthias David T1 - Translation of non-standard codon nucleotides reveals minimal requirements for codon-anticodon interactions JF - Nature Communications N2 - The precise interplay between the mRNA codon and the tRNA anticodon is crucial for ensuring efficient and accurate translation by the ribosome. The insertion of RNA nucleobase derivatives in the mRNA allowed us to modulate the stability of the codon-anticodon interaction in the decoding site of bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes, allowing an in-depth analysis of codon recognition. We found the hydrogen bond between the N1 of purines and the N3 of pyrimidines to be sufficient for decoding of the first two codon nucleotides, whereas adequate stacking between the RNA bases is critical at the wobble position. Inosine, found in eukaryotic mRNAs, is an important example of destabilization of the codon-anticodon interaction. Whereas single inosines are efficiently translated, multiple inosines, e.g., in the serotonin receptor 5-HT2C mRNA, inhibit translation. Thus, our results indicate that despite the robustness of the decoding process, its tolerance toward the weakening of codon-anticodon interactions is limited. KW - chemical modification KW - nucleic acids KW - ribozymes KW - RNA Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-321067 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herbst, Stefanie A1 - Soberats, Bartolome A1 - Leowanawat, Pawaret A1 - Stolte, Matthias A1 - Lehmann, Matthias A1 - Würthner, Frank T1 - Self-assembly of multi-stranded perylene dye J-aggregates in columnar liquid-crystalline phases JF - Nature Communications N2 - Many discoid dyes self-assemble into columnar liquid-crystalline (LC) phases with packing arrangements that are undesired for photonic applications due to H-type exciton coupling. Here, we report a series of crystalline and LC perylene bisimides (PBIs) self-assembling into single or multi-stranded (two, three, and four strands) aggregates with predominant J-type exciton coupling. These differences in the supramolecular packing and optical properties are achieved by molecular design variations of tetra-bay phenoxy-dendronized PBIs with two N–H groups at the imide positions. The self-assembly is driven by hydrogen bonding, slipped π–π stacking, nanosegregation, and steric requirements of the peripheral building blocks. We could determine the impact of the packing motifs on the spectroscopic properties and demonstrate different J- and H-type coupling contributions between the chromophores. Our findings on structure–property relationships and strong J-couplings in bulk LC materials open a new avenue in the molecular engineering of PBI J-aggregates with prospective applications in photonics. KW - liquid crystals KW - self-assembly Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319914 VL - 9 ER -