Kinetic control of shape deformations and membrane phase separation inside giant vesicles

Su, Wan-Chih; Ho, James C. S.; Gettel, Douglas L.; Rowland, Andrew T.; Keating, Christine D.; Parikh, Atul N.

doi:10.1038/s41557-023-01267-1

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…The polymer interior remains phase-separated and aligns with the neck at the interface of the two lipid phases. This behavior is consistent with the experimental results observed for similar systems. ,, …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…This behavior is consistent with the experimental results observed for similar systems. 19,44,45 Next, we tested membrane deformations in the presence of proteins. It is well known that proteins induce membrane curvature or have an intrinsic curvature preference.…”

Section: ■ Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This behavior is consistent with the experimental results observed for similar systems. 19 , 44 , 45 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Shocker─A Molecular Dynamics Protocol and Tool for Accelerating and Analyzing the Effects of Osmotic Shocks

van Tilburg,

Marrink,

König

et al. 2023

J. Chem. Theory Comput.

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The process of osmosis, a fundamental phenomenon in life, drives water through a semipermeable membrane in response to a solute concentration gradient across this membrane. In vitro, osmotic shocks are often used to drive shape changes in lipid vesicles, for instance, to study fission events in the context of artificial cells. While experimental techniques provide a macroscopic picture of large-scale membrane remodeling processes, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool to study membrane deformations at the molecular level. However, simulating an osmotic shock is a time-consuming process due to slow water diffusion across the membrane, making it practically impossible to examine its effects in classic MD simulations. In this article, we present Shocker, a Python-based MD tool for simulating the effects of an osmotic shock by selecting and relocating water particles across a membrane over the course of several pumping cycles. Although this method is primarily aimed at efficiently simulating volume changes in vesicles, it can also handle membrane tubes and double bilayer systems. Additionally, Shocker is force field-independent and compatible with both coarse-grained and allatom systems. We demonstrate that our tool is applicable to simulate both hypertonic and hypotonic osmotic shocks for a range of vesicular and bilamellar setups, including complex multicomponent systems containing membrane proteins or crowded internal solutions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: ■ Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Shocker─A Molecular Dynamics Protocol and Tool for Accelerating and Analyzing the Effects of Osmotic Shocks

van Tilburg,

Marrink,

König

et al. 2023

J. Chem. Theory Comput.

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show abstract

“…6c ). In contrast to directly mixing liposomes with pre-existing LLPS droplets, in situ formation of droplets within liposomes results in phase separation at the membrane boundary and membrane budding, which together provides a method to construct multi-compartments within artificial cells 103 .…”

Section: Applications Of Llps Dropletsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

Naz,

Zhang,

Chen

et al. 2024

Commun Chem

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Dynamic microscale droplets produced by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) have emerged as appealing biomaterials due to their remarkable features. However, the instability of droplets limits the construction of population-level structures with collective behaviors. Here we first provide a brief background of droplets in the context of materials properties. Subsequently, we discuss current strategies for stabilizing droplets including physical separation and chemical modulation. We also discuss the recent development of LLPS droplets for various applications such as synthetic cells and biomedical materials. Finally, we give insights on how stabilized droplets can self-assemble into higher-order structures displaying coordinated functions to fully exploit their potentials in bottom-up synthetic biology and biomedical applications.

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“…Budding in GVs thus provides an experimental model system that allows for investigation of the effects of biochemical asymmetry. In a recent work led by Keating and Parikh, [38] the researchers examined the kinetics of LLPS and evolving shapes of giant vesicles containing a PEG/dextran mixture. Their investigation revealed unique characteristics of membrane‐droplet interactions, along with alterations in equilibration pathways and the stabilization of kinetically formed morphologies.…”

Section: Instructing Liquid‐liquid Phase Separation Within Protocellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instructing Liquid‐Liquid Phase Separation Inside Membranous Protocells

Lv,

Liu,

Song

et al. 2023

ChemSystemsChem

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The bottom‐up fabrication of compartmentalized cell‐like entities represents a promising avenue for reconstituting hierarchical organization within cells and emulating life‐like behaviors. Integrating the creation of semipermeable membranes and membraneless artificial organelles has recently garnered significant attention, aiming to achieve cytomimetic properties. We briefly describe the concept of liquid‐liquid phase separation and review approaches for the fabrication of cell‐sized membranous protocells (e. g., giant unilamellar vesicles, polymersomes and proteinosomes). Three strategies are emphasized for the construction of advanced cell‐like structures consisting of liquid‐like subcompartments enclosed by a membrane: (i) adsorption and assembly of organic or inorganic species onto the surface of preformed coacervate microdroplets; (ii) interfacial assembly of a lipid or polymer bilayer on the surface of an aqueous pool containing preformed microdroplets; and (ii) triggering phase separation within a preformed semipermeable membrane with chemical or physical stimuli. This review underscores the significance of the hierarchical organization of these synthetic cellular structures in mimicking cytomimetic functions, including transmembrane signaling, protocell communication, prototissue formation, and their compelling biomedical applications.

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Kinetic control of shape deformations and membrane phase separation inside giant vesicles

Cited by 7 publications

References 86 publications

Shocker─A Molecular Dynamics Protocol and Tool for Accelerating and Analyzing the Effects of Osmotic Shocks

Shocker─A Molecular Dynamics Protocol and Tool for Accelerating and Analyzing the Effects of Osmotic Shocks

Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

Instructing Liquid‐Liquid Phase Separation Inside Membranous Protocells

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