title: Adaptations of guest and host in expanded self-assembled capsules.
abstract: Reversible encapsulation complexes create spaces where two or more molecules can be temporarily isolated. When the mobility of encapsulated molecules is restricted, different arrangements in space are possible, and new forms of isomerism ("social isomerism") are created: the orientation of one encapsulated molecule influences that of the other in the confined space. Expansion of a capsule's length is possible through addition of small-molecule spacer elements. The expanded capsules have dimensions that permit the observation of social isomerism of two identical guests, and they adopt arrangements that properly fill the host's space. The host also can adapt to longer guests by incorporating additional spacers, much as protein modules are added to a viral capsid in response to larger genomes. Arachidonic and related fatty acid derivatives act in this way to induce the assembly of further extended capsules having sufficient length to accommodate them.
authors.affiliation: The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute MB-26, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Dariush
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ajami
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rebek
mesh_terms: D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D004339:Drug Compounding; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D011506:Proteins