Finally we use our receptors to localise their peroxidase activity in lipid domains of synthetic cell membranes! We demonstrate this capability with both potassium and calcium as model signalling messengers.

We next apply receptor assembly to host G4-hemin DNAzymes and their catalytic activity on membrane surfaces. By monitoring the production of resorufin, we show that catalytic action depends on receptor relative abundance.

Exploiting the sequence and cation-dependence of G-quadruplex assembly, we show it is possible to finely tune the relative abundance of our receptors using a range of cations (including lithium!). This is a consequence of increased local concentrations when membrane-anchored.

Our receptors are membrane-bound tetramolecular DNA-based nanodevices, assembled via an intermolecular G-quadruplex