Fig. 13.
(A) Catalysis by negatively charged membranes; the surface of a negatively charged lipid membrane attracts protons, leading to a local decrease in the pH that can catalyze the formation of hydrogelator 29 from nonassembling precursors 27 and 28. To visualize the gel fibers and lipid membranes, probes 30 and 31, respectively, are used. (B) Confocal images showing the formation of gel fibers in HeLa cells; 3D reconstruction of a z-stack, revealing the formation of gel fibers throughout the cell. The gel fibers were stained with 30 (green), whereas the nuclei were visualized with Hoechst nuclear dye (blue). Adapted with permission from ref. 37. Copyright 2016, American Chemical Society.