Membrane functionalization in artificial cell engineering

Abstract

Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to construct mimics of cellular structure and behaviour known as artificial cells from a small number of molecular components. The development of this nascent field has coupled new insights in molecular biology with large translational potential for application in fields such as drug delivery and biosensing. Multiple approaches have been applied to create cell mimics, with many efforts focusing on phospholipid-based systems. This mini-review focuses on different approaches to incorporating molecular motifs as tools for lipid membrane functionalization in artificial cell construction. Such motifs range from synthetic chemical functional groups to components from extant biology that can be arranged in a 'plug-and-play' approach which is hard to replicate in living systems. Rationally designed artificial cells possess the promise of complex biomimetic behaviour from minimal, highly engineered chemical networks.

Subcompartmentalization and Pseudo‐Division of Model Protocells

“…Multi‐compartmentalized liposome or polymerosome formulations have indeed been in the focus of biomedical investigations for improved drug and gene delivery as well as biosensing. [ 62–64 ]…”

Activating mechanosensitive channels embedded in droplet interface bilayers using membrane asymmetry

“…The eld of bottom-up synthetic biology aims to reconstitute the form, function and behaviour of biological organisms from self-assembled chemical systems. [1][2][3][4][5] To this end, different pathways have been explored to create compartmentalised biomimetic microstructures capable of supporting functions such as chemical synthesis, [6][7][8] environment sensing, 9,10 information transduction 11 and motility. 12 One route involves the use of lipid monolayer-stabilised water-in-oil (w/o) droplets, where contact between two droplets leads to the spontaneous selfassembly of a lipid bilayer at the interface (Fig.…”

A modular, dynamic, DNA-based platform for regulating cargo distribution and transport between lipid domains

“…[16][17][18] Just like their biological counterparts, many artificial-cell designs rely on semi-permeable membranes for their compartmentalization requirements, [19][20][21] which can be constructed from polymers 22 and proteopolymer systems, 23,24 colloids 25,26 and, more often, from synthetic lipid bilayers. 21 However, with some remarkable exceptions [27][28][29][30][31] reviewed in ref., 32 the membranes of artificial cells are often passive enclosures, lacking the complex functionalities of biological interfaces. A precise control over the local molecular makeup of synthetic lipid bilayers is therefore highly desirable, and a necessary stepping stone for the development of ever more sophisticated life-like responses in artificial cells.…”