Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Multivalent Recognition Of Peptides By Modular Self-Assembled Receptors, Joseph J. Reczek, Aimee A. Kennedy, Brian T. Halbert, Adam R. Urbach

Chemistry Faculty Research

Developing nontraditional approaches to the synthesis and characterization of multivalent compounds is critical to our efforts to study and interface with biological systems and to build new noncovalent materials. This paper demonstrates a biomimetic approach to the construction of discrete, modular, multivalent receptors via molecular self-assembly in aqueous solution. Scaffolds presenting 1−3 viologen groups recruit a respective 1−3 copies of the synthetic host, cucurbit[8]uril, in a noncooperative manner and with a consistent equilibrium association constant (K_a) value of 2 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ per binding site. The assembled mono-, di-, and trivalent receptors bind to their …