S. Matile, En route to supramolecular functional plasticity: artificial beta-barrels,the barrel-stave motif, and related approaches, CHEM SOC RE, 30(3), 2001, pp. 158-167
This review emphasizes recent or pertinent efforts to create functional pla
sticity with artificial barrel-stave supramolecules and related motifs. On
the structural level, a summary of engineered, de novo designed, and artifi
cial beta -barrels beyond peptide chemistry is followed by representative a
lpha -helix bundles and barrel-stave supramolecules comprising oligonucleot
ides, inorganic architecture, and organic barrel-stave ion channel models.
On the functional level, selected examples are given to highlight divers as
pects of molecular recognition, translocation, and transformation that are
currently accessible with artificial barrel-stave supramolecules.