@article{WehnerRoehrStepanenkoetal.2020,
  author    = {Wehner, Marius and R{\"o}hr, Merle Insa Silja and Stepanenko, Vladimir and W{\"u}rthner, Frank},
  title     = {Control of self-assembly pathways toward conglomerate and racemic supramolecular polymers},
  series = {Nature Communications},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Nature Communications},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41467-020-19189-8},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230580},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Homo- and heterochiral aggregation during crystallization of organic molecules has significance both for fundamental questions related to the origin of life as well as for the separation of homochiral compounds from their racemates in industrial processes. Herein, we analyse these phenomena at the lowest level of hierarchy - that is the self-assembly of a racemic mixture of (R,R)- and (S,S)-PBI into 1D supramolecular polymers. By a combination of UV/vis and NMR spectroscopy as well as atomic force microscopy, we demonstrate that homochiral aggregation of the racemic mixture leads to the formation of two types of supramolecular conglomerates under kinetic control, while under thermodynamic control heterochiral aggregation is preferred, affording a racemic supramolecular polymer. FT-IR spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations reveal unique packing arrangements and hydrogen-bonding patterns within these supramolecular polymers. Time-, concentration- and temperature-dependent UV/vis experiments provide further insights into the kinetic and thermodynamic control of the conglomerate and racemic supramolecular polymer formation. Homo- and heterochiral aggregation is a process of interest to prebiotic and chiral separation chemistry. Here, the authors analyze the self-assembly of a racemic mixture into 1D supramolecular polymers and find homochiral aggregation into conglomerates under kinetic control, while under thermodynamic control a racemic polymer is formed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GoerlZhangStepanenkoetal.2015,
  author    = {G{\"o}rl, Daniel and Zhang, Xin and Stepanenko, Vladimir and W{\"u}rthner, Frank},
  title     = {Supramolecular block copolymers by kinetically controlled co-self-assembly of planar and core-twisted perylene bisimides},
  series = {Nature Communications},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Nature Communications},
  number    = {7009},
  doi       = {10.1038/ncomms8009},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148657},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {New synthetic methodologies for the formation of block copolymers have revolutionized polymer science within the last two decades. However, the formation of supramolecular block copolymers composed of alternating sequences of larger block segments has not been realized yet. Here we show by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 2D NMR and optical spectroscopy that two different perylene bisimide dyes bearing either a flat (A) or a twisted (B) core self-assemble in water into supramolecular block copolymers with an alternating sequence of (A\(_{m}\)BB)\(_{n}\). The highly defined ultralong nanowire structure of these supramolecular copolymers is entirely different from those formed upon self-assembly of the individual counterparts, that is, stiff nanorods (A) and irregular nanoworms (B), respectively. Our studies further reveal that the as-formed supramolecular block copolymer constitutes a kinetic self-assembly product that transforms into thermodynamically more stable self-sorted homopolymers upon heating.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{DiestelReschMeinhardtetal.2013,
  author    = {Diestel, Uschi and Resch, Marcus and Meinhardt, Kathrin and Weiler, Sigrid and Hellmann, Tina V. and Mueller, Thomas D. and Nickel, Joachim and Eichler, Jutta and Muller, Yves A.},
  title     = {Identification of a Novel TGF-beta-Binding Site in the Zona Pellucida C-terminal (ZP-C) Domain of TGF-\(\beta\)-Receptor-3 (TGFR-3)},
  series = {PLoS ONE},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {PLoS ONE},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0067214},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130904},
  pages     = {e67214},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The zona pellucida (ZP) domain is present in extracellular proteins such as the zona pellucida proteins and tectorins and participates in the formation of polymeric protein networks. However, the ZP domain also occurs in the cytokine signaling co-receptor transforming growth factor beta (TGF-\(\beta\)) receptor type 3 (TGFR-3, also known as betaglycan) where it contributes to cytokine ligand recognition. Currently it is unclear how the ZP domain architecture enables this dual functionality. Here, we identify a novel major TGF-beta-binding site in the FG loop of the C-terminal subdomain of the murine TGFR-3 ZP domain (ZP-C) using protein crystallography, limited proteolysis experiments, surface plasmon resonance measurements and synthetic peptides. In the murine 2.7 angstrom crystal structure that we are presenting here, the FG-loop is disordered, however, well-ordered in a recently reported homologous rat ZP-C structure. Surprisingly, the adjacent external hydrophobic patch (EHP) segment is registered differently in the rat and murine structures suggesting that this segment only loosely associates with the remaining ZP-C fold. Such a flexible and temporarily-modulated association of the EHP segment with the ZP domain has been proposed to control the polymerization of ZP domain-containing proteins. Our findings suggest that this flexibility also extends to the ZP domain of TGFR-3 and might facilitate co-receptor ligand interaction and presentation via the adjacent FG-loop. This hints that a similar C-terminal region of the ZP domain architecture possibly regulates both the polymerization of extracellular matrix proteins and cytokine ligand recognition of TGFR-3.},
  language  = {en}
}