Bioinspired enzymatic compartments constructed by spatiotemporally confined in situ self-assembly of catalytic peptide

Enzymatic compartments, inspired by cell compartmentalization, which bring enzymes and substrates together in confined environments, are of particular interest in ensuring the enhanced catalytic efficiency and increased lifetime of encapsulated enzymes. Herein, we constructed bioinspired enzymatic compartments (TPE-Q18H@GPs) with semi-permeability by spatiotemporally controllable self-assembly of catalytic peptide TPE-Q18H in hollow porous glucan particles (GPs), allowing substrates and products to pass in/out freely, while enzymatic aggregations were retained. Due to the enrichment of substrates and synergistic effect of catalytic nanofibers formed in the confined environment, the enzymatic compartments exhibited stronger substrate binding affinity and over two-fold enhancement of second-order kinetic constant (k(cat)/K(m)) compared to TPE-Q18H nanofibers in disperse system. Moreover, GPs enabled the compartments sufficient stability against perturbation conditions, such as high temperature and degradation. This work opens an intriguing avenue to construct enzymatic compartments using porous biomass materials and has fundamental implications for constructing artificial organelles and even artificial cells.