Light-triggered enzymatic reactions in nested vesicle reactors

Abstract

Cell-sized vesicles have tremendous potential both as miniaturised pL reaction vessels and in bottom-up synthetic biology as chassis for artificial cells. In both these areas the introduction of light-responsive modules affords increased functionality, for example, to initiate enzymatic reactions in the vesicle interior with spatiotemporal control. Here we report a system composed of nested vesicles where the inner compartments act as phototransducers, responding to ultraviolet irradiation through diacetylene polymerisation-induced pore formation to initiate enzymatic reactions. The controlled release and hydrolysis of a fluorogenic β-galactosidase substrate in the external compartment is demonstrated, where the rate of reaction can be modulated by varying ultraviolet exposure time. Such cell-like nested microreactor structures could be utilised in fields from biocatalysis through to drug delivery.

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

“…Therefore, the starting times of the reactions inside can be determined more easily. By combining different methods, one can create nested vesicles, multicompartmentalized vesicles, vesicle fusion, and so on to engineer cell‐mimicking models with more and more complicated cascades occurring inside. Because the reactants are spatially separated, each step can take place in a particular compartment, and the whole system can be orchestrated in the desired manner.…”

“…Although GUVs are becoming a promising approach to tackling the problem of sophisticated interchanges in living cells, groups developing artificial cells around the world are still struggling to mimic the complex biochemical reactions in GUVs . Nonetheless, this continuous endeavor has not produced tangible results because the reaction cascades in the GUVs are still challenging despite the huge efforts to achieve reaction cascades in vesicles . The central dogma of a complex biomimicking system inside a GUV is molecular energy sustainably .…”

Barcoding biological reactions with DNA-functionalized vesicles

“…[7,[67][68][69][70][71] Genetic circuitry can be harnessed in cell-free environments in order to produce av ariety of biological molecules. [7,[67][68][69][70][71] Genetic circuitry can be harnessed in cell-free environments in order to produce av ariety of biological molecules.…”

Modulation of Higher‐order Behaviour in Model Protocell Communities by Artificial Phagocytosis

“…Thei norganic membrane was crosslinked to produce shell-like micro-compartments (colloidosomes) that could be transferred to water and endowed with biomimetic functions,s uch as in situ gene expression, [6] enzyme-mediated catalysis, [6,7] microcapsule growth and divi-sion, [8] membrane gating, [9] enzyme-directed secretion of an extracellular-like matrix, [10] and energy capture and conversion. [19][20][21] Hierarchically structured compartments involving different types of protocells,such as liposome-encapsulated coacervate droplets, [22] multi-compartmentalized polymersomes, [23] nested vesicles, [24] and giant vesicles comprising light-harvesting organelles, [25] have also been reported. Chemical communication and signalling have been demonstrated between populations of vesicles and bacteria, [12,13] lipid vesicles containing gene circuitry, [14] vesicles and proteinosomes, [15] colloidosomes, [16] modified [17] or immobilized [18] coacervate droplets,a nd in water-in-oil emulsion droplets.…”

“…[11] Thee mergence of collective behaviour in mixed populations of synthetic protocells is relatively unexplored, even though increasing levels of protocell interactivity could provide more complex and synergistic functions,s uch as resilience to environmental stress,c hemical signalling for artificial quorum sensing,a nd multiplex tasking via collaboration and specialization. [19][20][21] Hierarchically structured compartments involving different types of protocells,such as liposome-encapsulated coacervate droplets, [22] multi-compartmentalized polymersomes, [23] nested vesicles, [24] and giant vesicles comprising light-harvesting organelles, [25] have also been reported. [19][20][21] Hierarchically structured compartments involving different types of protocells,such as liposome-encapsulated coacervate droplets, [22] multi-compartmentalized polymersomes, [23] nested vesicles, [24] and giant vesicles comprising light-harvesting organelles, [25] have also been reported.…”