Fengting Lv

Enabling the nonphotosynthetic bacterium Moorella thermoacetica (M. thermoacetica) to form a photosynthetic biohybrid system could transform carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added products. However, to ensure an efficient, mechanistic electron-transfer pathway to microbial catalysts, a pivotal nanoplatform that involves multicomponent composite systems for photoexcited electron transfer from the photosensitizer to the bacteria, as well as for enhancing light-harvesting capabilities and efficient electron/hole separation, is crucial. Here, we design panchromatic ternary polymer dots (Pdots) as biocompatible photosensitizers that can broaden the light absorption spectrum up to 800 nm and enhance light utilization due to efficient charge and energy transfer within the Pdots. By matching the energy level of Pdots to the positions of the redox mediators in M. thermoacetica, effective photoexcited electron transfer to the bacterial membrane proteins can be achieved, providing a sufficient driving force to enhance the efficiency of acetate production. The optimal system renders a photobiocatalytic performance of acetic acid production up to 1.6 mM, corresponding to 320 mmol/g_Pdots after a 3 day experiment at a light intensity of 5 mW cm^-2.

Ion channels play essential roles in cellular signaling, yet achieving precise, on-demand activation within the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains challenging. In this study, we develop a pH-responsive supramolecular assembly composed of a water-soluble cationic oligophenylenevinylene derivative (OPV-hex) and an acid-cleavable molecule (DMMA). Under physiological pH, OPV-hex and DMMA form a host-guest complex that shields the cationic surface charge of OPV-hex. In an acidic tumor-mimicking environment, DMMA undergoes hydrolysis, leading to disassembly of the complex and release of positively charged OPV-hex, which subsequently targets the plasma membrane and activates calcium ion channels. This leads to an influx of Ca²⁺ in HCT116 tumor cells and RAW264.7 macrophages. Inhibitor and electrophysiological experiments confirm the involvement of TRPV1 and voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels. Transcriptomic analysis shows the enrichment of apoptosis and calcium-related pathways. Additionally, the system also has the potential to induce macrophage polarization, enhancing antitumor immune responses. This work presents a molecular conformation-driven strategy for pH-triggered ion channel modulation and offers a promising platform for targeted cancer therapy.

Conducting polymers (CPs) exhibit unique optoelectronic and bioactive properties, enabling the precise monitoring and modulation of complex physiological processes within organoid systems. This review highlights recent advances in CP-enhanced organoid technology, focusing on their roles in evaluating organoid construction, constructing device platforms for physiological monitoring, and enabling novel bioregulation strategies. By enabling high-resolution, noninvasive visualization and precise physiological intervention, CPs provide an ideal platform for the real-time monitoring and regulation of organoid differentiation, functional analysis, and the development of disease treatment strategies. Furthermore, emerging approaches that couple rational molecular design of CPs with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are accelerating the development of organoid bidirectional interactive systems. These interdisciplinary innovations underscore the transformative potential of CPs to bridge the gap between organoid biology and precision bioengineering, paving the way for the development of clinical diagnostics and treatment tools.

Rapid and reliable communication with photosynthetic organisms is essential for monitoring their physiological states, which would reflect their endogenous bioelectric signals. However, these signals are inherently weak and challenging to detect due to the low efficiency of bioelectronic generation and transmission. In this work, we constructed a Syne/PFP/PPy biohybrid system by integrating the photosynthetic cyanobacterial cells of Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 (Syne) with cationic poly(fluorene-co-phenylene) derivative (PFP) and polypyrrole (PPy). Leveraging the superior light-harvesting ability of PFP and the excellent electrical conducting properties of PPy, the Syne/PFP/PPy system can enhance the acquisition of in situ bioelectronic signals from Syne. Compared to single Syne cells, the intensity of bioelectronic signals collected by Syne/PFP/PPy increased over 14 times (from 3.4 to 47.9 nA cm^-2). By incorporating machine learning models, we successfully correlated these bioelectronic signals with key physiological conditions, including variations in temperature, light intensity, pH, and nutrient availability (nitrogen and phosphorus). Furthermore, a wireless device was also designed for a simulation application of this system to realize wireless monitoring of Syne cells. This strategy offers a promising platform for decoding intrinsic bioelectronic signals of photosynthetic organisms and providing an efficient method for timely tracking their life status.

Living plants provide sustainable and adaptive systems, and enabling them with in vivo electroactivity could open promising avenues for green sensing and energy technologies. However, integrating conductive polymers into living tissues without harming the viability remains challenging. Here, we develop a living rose-based biohybrid system using an enzyme-assisted in vivo polymerization strategy to endow plants with electroactive functions. In the system, pyrrole monomers are transported throughout the plant and polymerized in situ on tissue surfaces, producing electroactive Rose/PPy stems that combine the properties of conductive polymers with living tissues. The system enables sensitive detection of plant hormones, including indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 1.5 μM-100 μM) and salicylic acid (SA, 0.05 μM-3 μM), via differential pulse voltammetry. Rose/PPy also functions as a supercapacitor electrode, exhibiting a maximum capacitance of 1035 μF at 3 μA with 81% retention over 10,000 cycles, and a symmetric two-electrode device shows 49.7 μF at 3.5 μA with 85% retention over 5500 cycles. These results demonstrate the potential of Rose/PPy for both biosensing and energy storage. This work establishes a general strategy for constructing electroactive plant-based biohybrids, expands the applications of natural biomass in multifunctional materials, and provides insights into the seamless integration of electronics with living systems.

Calcium ion (Ca²⁺) channels play a key role in mediating cellular gene transcription and signal transduction, emerging as intriguing targets for modulating biological functions. Conjugated molecules (CMs) exhibit distinctive advantages of tunable optoelectronic properties, intrinsic bioactivities, and flexible assembly characteristics, providing various opportunities for the regulation of Ca²⁺ channels. In this Outlook, we introduce the CM-based external-light-reliable or -free photodynamic, the first/second near-infrared (NIR-I/II) light-enabled photothermal, and supramolecular regulations of Ca²⁺ channels for modulating biological functions, including cancer and thrombolysis therapy, remote neurostimulation, and glycemic management. On the other hand, the challenges and perspectives on advancing fast response time, multimodal responsiveness, targeted precision, and biosafety are also discussed, clearly mapping out future development trajectories.

Exploring precise temperature-based photosynthesis regulation strategies will afford promising opportunities for controllable and efficient enhancement of photosynthesis. In this work, we developed a type of photothermal conjugated polymer nanoparticles (T-NPs) based on TZQ-TDPP (poly[2,5-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-co-(6,7-bis(4-((2-decyltetradecyl)oxy)phenyl) -[1,2,5] thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline)]). T-NPs possess the desired photothermal conversion performance, with their photothermal conversion efficiency reaching up to 80.52%. The introduction of T-NPs enables the controllable regulation of the microenvironment temperature of Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyre), thereby achieving accurate regulation on its photosynthetic activity. Under optimal conditions, T-NPs accelerate light-dependent reactions, leading to increased oxygen evolution and NADP⁺, NADPH, and ATP contents up to 46%, 20%, 23%, and 103%, respectively. Moreover, the Rubisco activity of C. pyre under light-independent reactions increased by 258%. The chlorophyll fluorimeter parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics curves also exhibited varying degrees of increase, demonstrating that the introduction of T-NPs improves the photosystem II (PSII)-related process and enhances the photosynthesis process of C. pyre. Integrated proteomic profiling revealed the regulatory mechanism of T-NPs on the photosynthesis of C. pyre and confirmed the upregulation of the Rubisco activity in C. pyre. This study provides a strategy for precise regulation of photosynthesis through photothermal-responsive conjugated polymer nanoparticles, advancing the development of photosynthetic organism-based sustainable energy and biomanufacturing.

Key intracellular in situ synthesis processes, including the synthesis of near-infrared fluorescent dyes, intracellular oxidative cross-linking, polymerization, and bioorthogonal reactions, as well as their biomedical applications were summarized.