Construction of a Switchable Nanochannel for Protein Transport via a Pillar[5]arene-Based Host–Guest System

Modulating protein selective translocation is a significant process, which has great potential for mimicking and understanding complex biological activities. As such, how to construct a nanochannel that can accomplish well gating protein transport is vital and challenge. Herein, inspired by nature, we presented a robust strategy to construct a switchable nanochannel by introducing a pH responsive binary host-guest system into a nanochannel. Benefiting from the novel design of the pillar[5]arene as gatekeeper, the functional nanochannel can well facilitate histone transport. Under pH regulation, the host-guest assembled nanochannel is capable of switching "on" and "off" to manipulate the histone translocation process. This study exemplifies the importance of molecular switch mediated protein transport in this process and provides a new theoretical model for biological research, which will open a new avenue for better understanding of some physiological and pathological behaviors.