Artificial Molecular Clamp: A Novel Device for Synthetic Polymerases

摘要

Renewable materials have attracted much attention from the viewpoints of environmental protection and efficient utilization of natural resources. Certain polyesters, polyamides, and polylactides, which are synthesized by either biological methods or chemical processes using a metal catalyst, have been extensively investigated as biodegradable and renewable polymers. However, biological methods are inefficient, and chemical processes involve harmful metals and organic solvents. Thus, more efficient and environmentally benign processes are necessary. In our studies, we hypothesized that innovative syntheses are best developed using chemical processes that take advantages of biological systems. Herein, we successfully obtained synthetic polymerases including an artificial molecular clamp to yield high-molecular-weight polymers without solvents or co-catalysts.. This system is reminiscent of highly efficient DNA polymerases including a sliding clamp where the ring-shaped protein assembly of DNA polymerases plays an important role in the replication of polynucleotides. Although the clamp does not have an active site, polymerization does not proceed well without the clamp. Similarly, cyclodextrins (CDs) are ring-shaped host molecules, which include various guests to form supramolecular complexes such as rotaxanes.