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Lin Z, Beneyton T, Baret JC, Martin N. Coacervate Droplets for Synthetic Cells. SMALL METHODS 2023; 7:e2300496. [PMID: 37462244 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202300496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The design and construction of synthetic cells - human-made microcompartments that mimic features of living cells - have experienced a real boom in the past decade. While many efforts have been geared toward assembling membrane-bounded compartments, coacervate droplets produced by liquid-liquid phase separation have emerged as an alternative membrane-free compartmentalization paradigm. Here, the dual role of coacervate droplets in synthetic cell research is discussed: encapsulated within membrane-enclosed compartments, coacervates act as surrogates of membraneless organelles ubiquitously found in living cells; alternatively, they can be viewed as crowded cytosol-like chassis for constructing integrated synthetic cells. After introducing key concepts of coacervation and illustrating the chemical diversity of coacervate systems, their physicochemical properties and resulting bioinspired functions are emphasized. Moving from suspensions of free floating coacervates, the two nascent roles of these droplets in synthetic cell research are highlighted: organelle-like modules and cytosol-like templates. Building the discussion on recent studies from the literature, the potential of coacervate droplets to assemble integrated synthetic cells capable of multiple life-inspired functions is showcased. Future challenges that are still to be tackled in the field are finally discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Lin
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR5031, 115 avenue du Dr. Schweitzer, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Thomas Beneyton
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR5031, 115 avenue du Dr. Schweitzer, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Baret
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR5031, 115 avenue du Dr. Schweitzer, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Nicolas Martin
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR5031, 115 avenue du Dr. Schweitzer, 33600, Pessac, France
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Huang Y, Huang J, Yin W, Xie F, Coleman B, Cao Y, Aya S, Zhu W, Yang Z, Jiang L. Encoding Coacervate Droplets with Paramagnetism for Dynamical Reconfigurability and Spatial Addressability. ACS NANO 2023; 17:6234-6246. [PMID: 36951305 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c09617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
It is an ongoing endeavor in chemistry and materials science to regulate coacervate droplets on a physiologically relevant spatiotemporal scale to ultimately match or even surpass living cells' precision, complexity, and functionality. Herein, we develop a magnetic strategy orthogonal to the thermal, pH, light, or chemical counterparts that are commonly employed by biotic or artificial systems; its successful implementation thus adds a missing piece to the current arsenal of manipulative methodologies. Specifically, we paramagnetize the otherwise diamagnetic coacervate droplets by cooperatively combining paramagnetic ingredients (including organic radicals, metal ions, and Fe3O4 nanoparticles) and coacervate ingredients to obtain "MagCoa" droplets. A simple model is derived theoretically to account for migration and division of MagCoa droplets in an uneven magnetic field. Experimentally, we produce an array of compartmentalized and monodispersed droplets using microfluidics and magnetically steer them with uniformity and synchronicity. We design and fabricate spatial magnetic modulators to engineer the landscape of a magnetic field that, in turn, directs the MagCoa droplets into predesigned patterns in a reconfigurable fashion. These programmable liquid patterns can be potentially extended to dynamic assembly and information encryption. We envision that the toolbox established here is of generality and multitudes to serve as a practical guide to control droplets magnetically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangkun Huang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology (AISMST), School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jinpeng Huang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology (AISMST), School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Wenxiang Yin
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Institute of Information Technology, Handan University, Handan 056005, China
| | - Benjamin Coleman
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005-1892, United States
| | - Yaoyu Cao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Satoshi Aya
- College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhijie Yang
- Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Lingxiang Jiang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology (AISMST), School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
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Johnston AR, Pitch GM, Minckler ED, Mora IG, Balasco Serrão VH, Dailing EA, Ayzner AL. Excitonically Coupled Simple Coacervates via Liquid/Liquid Phase Separation. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:10275-10281. [PMID: 36305559 PMCID: PMC9661528 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Viscoelastic liquid coacervate phases that are highly enriched in nonconjugated polyelectrolytes are currently the subject of highly active research from biological and soft-materials perspectives. However, formation of a liquid, electronically active coacervate has proved highly elusive, since extended π-electron interactions strongly favor the solid state. Herein we show that a conjugated polyelectrolyte can be rationally designed to undergo aqueous liquid/liquid phase separation to form a liquid coacervate phase. This result is significant both because it adds to the fundamental understanding of liquid/liquid phase separation but also because it opens intriguing applications in light harvesting and beyond. We find that the semiconducting coacervate is intrinsically excitonically coupled, allowing for long-range exciton diffusion in a strongly correlated, fluctuating environment. The emergent excitonic states are comprised of both excimers and H-aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna R. Johnston
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
| | - Gregory M. Pitch
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
| | - Eris D. Minckler
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
| | - Ivette G. Mora
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
| | - Vitor H. Balasco Serrão
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
- Biomolecular
cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
| | - Eric A. Dailing
- The
Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Berkeley, California94720, United States
| | - Alexander L. Ayzner
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California—Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California95064, United States
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