Activity Control of a Synthetic Transporter by Photodynamic Modulation of Membrane Mobility and Incorporation.

Artificial transmembrane transport systems are receiving a great deal of attention for their potential therapeutic application. A major challenge is to switch their activity in response to environmental stimuli, which has been achieved mostly by modulating the binding affinity. We demonstrate here that the activity of a synthetic anion transporter can be controlled through changes in the membrane mobility and incorporation. The transporters─equipped with azobenzene photoswitches─poorly incorporate into the bilayer membrane as their thermally stable (