Recognition and chirality sensing of guanosine-containing nucleotides by an achiral tetraphenylethene-based octacationic cage in water

The development of molecular probes or systems with the ability of multiple orthogonal responses is an effective approach to precisely detect biomolecules with similar chemical structures. Herein, we report the synthesis of a water-soluble TPE-based octacationic cage (1) with the compressed TPE-containing bilayer, which endows it with good fluorescence properties and potential conformation chirality. As a result, 1 exhibits molecular recognition for anionic nucleotides within its two “claw”-like cavities to form 1:2 host-guest complexes in water, companying with selective turn-off fluorescence and turn-on CD responses to G/GTP over other nucleotides.