ED Sciences Chimiques
Stimuli-responsive polypeptide mimics of green fluorescent protein
by Sifan JI (Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques)
The defense will take place at 13h30 - Amphitheatre 3 Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Matériaux, d'Agroalimentaire et de Chimie, ENSMAC 16 Avenue Pey-Berland 33607 Pessac Cedex France
in front of the jury composed of
- Delphine CHAN-SENG - Chargée de recherche - Institut Charles Sadron-CNRS-UPR22 - Rapporteur
- Ludovic JULLIEN - Professor - Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Université - Rapporteur
- Céline OLIVIER - Chargée de recherche - Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, Université de Bordeaux - Examinateur
- Jean-Baptiste VERLHAC - Professor - Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, Université de Bordeaux - Examinateur
- Hua LU - Professor - Peking University - Examinateur
- Chloé GRAZON - Chargée de recherche - Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, Université de Bordeaux - Examinateur
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has emerged as a unique fluorescent probe with applications in the field of life science. The discovery and subsequent development of GFP were duly rewarded with the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The protein is comprised of a central chromophore, which is embedded within a helical polypeptide chain, and is encapsulated by a protein cage. In recent years, synthetic fluorophores analogous to the GFP chromophore have been developed with the objective of mimicking the fluorescence properties of the protein and its derivatives. These synthetic fluorophores are developed using imidazolinone chemistry and have been designed to exhibit tunable fluorescence emission. Nevertheless, thus far, there has been a lack of investigation into the influence of the macromolecular backbone on their fluorescence. In this context, the objective of this doctoral project was to develop polypeptide mimics of green fluorescent protein through the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). This polymerization process yields polypeptides that have been the subject of considerable attention as a promising family of protein-like polymers. The imidazolinone moieties were incorporated into the polypeptide scaffolds during either the initiation step or a post-polymerization modification. The GFP-inspired polypeptides exhibited fluorescence in both in vitro and in vivo assays in response to external stimuli. The comprehensive studies conducted on these stimuli-responsive fluorescent polypeptides have revealed their significant potential as a means of advancing intelligent polymeric systems with promising applications in the fields of bioimaging and biosensing.