Constructing vesicle-based artificial cells with embedded living cells as organelle-like modules

Abstract

There is increasing interest in constructing artificial cells by functionalising lipid vesicles with biological and synthetic machinery. Due to their reduced complexity and lack of evolved biochemical pathways, the capabilities of artificial cells are limited in comparison to their biological counterparts. We show that encapsulating living cells in vesicles provides a means for artificial cells to leverage cellular biochemistry, with the encapsulated cells serving organelle-like functions as living modules inside a larger synthetic cell assembly. Using microfluidic technologies to construct such hybrid cellular bionic systems, we demonstrate that the vesicle host and the encapsulated cell operate in concert. The external architecture of the vesicle shields the cell from toxic surroundings, while the cell acts as a bioreactor module that processes encapsulated feedstock which is further processed by a synthetic enzymatic metabolism co-encapsulated in the vesicle.

Toward Artificial Cells: Novel Advances in Energy Conversion and Cellular Motility

“…D) By encapsulating the biological cell inside the vesicle, the vesicle is able to process organelle‐like biochemical reactions, which can lead to further forms of biochemical cellular metabolism. Reproduced under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License . Copyright 2018, Published by Springer Nature.…”

“…Unlike previous models, recent models have led to synthetic cells, hybrids with living cells, having multistep metabolic reactions . As shown in Figure D, galactose is produced by the living cell inside the vesicle, after which it is oxidized by glucose oxidase (GOx).…”

Microfluidics for Production of Particles: Mechanism, Methodology, and Applications

“…The future of artificial vesicles resides in the development of novel methods to improve the yield and the maturation time of the vesicles or in the encapsulation of living cells within the vesicles to serve as bionic organelles . Alternatively, microfluidic‐based artificial cells can model the interaction between viruses and host cells, allowing for the high throughput screening of antiviral compounds within the picoliter volume of the vesicle .…”

Microfluidics for Biosynthesizing: from Droplets and Vesicles to Artificial Cells

“…And it is also a key step to bridge the gap between living and nonliving components. Ces and co‐workers reported a cellular bionics approach to construct artificial cells by harboring hole biological cells as organelle‐like modules (Figure C) . In this work, the cellular and the artificial materials have been smoothly fused into the single vesicle.…”

“…C) Preparing vesicle‐based artificial cells via microfluidic technology. Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2018, Springer Nature.…”