Investigation of a Catenane with a Responsive Noncovalent Network: Mimicking Long-Range Responses in Proteins

We
report a functional synthetic model for studying the noncovalent
networks (NCNs) required for complex protein functions. The model
[2]-catenane is self-assembled from dipeptide building blocks and
contains an extensive network of hydrogen bonds and aromatic interactions.
Perturbations to the catenane cause compensating changes in the NCNs
structure and dynamics, resulting in long-distance changes reminiscent
of a protein. Key findings include the notion that NCNs require regions
of negative cooperativity, or “frustrated” noncovalent
interactions, as a source of potential energy for driving the response.
We refer to this potential energy as latent free energy and describe a mechanistic and energetic model for responsive systems.