1
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Imai M, Sakuma Y, Kurisu M, Walde P. From vesicles toward protocells and minimal cells. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4823-4849. [PMID: 35722879 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01695d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to ordinary condensed matter systems, "living systems" are unique. They are based on molecular compartments that reproduce themselves through (i) an uptake of ingredients and energy from the environment, and (ii) spatially and timely coordinated internal chemical transformations. These occur on the basis of instructions encoded in information molecules (DNAs). Life originated on Earth about 4 billion years ago as self-organised systems of inorganic compounds and organic molecules including macromolecules (e.g. nucleic acids and proteins) and low molar mass amphiphiles (lipids). Before the first living systems emerged from non-living forms of matter, functional molecules and dynamic molecular assemblies must have been formed as prebiotic soft matter systems. These hypothetical cell-like compartment systems often are called "protocells". Other systems that are considered as bridging units between non-living and living systems are called "minimal cells". They are synthetic, autonomous and sustainable reproducing compartment systems, but their constituents are not limited to prebiotic substances. In this review, we focus on both membrane-bounded (vesicular) protocells and minimal cells, and provide a membrane physics background which helps to understand how morphological transformations of vesicle systems might have happened and how vesicle reproduction might be coupled with metabolic reactions and information molecules. This research, which bridges matter and life, is a great challenge in which soft matter physics, systems chemistry, and synthetic biology must take joined efforts to better understand how the transformation of protocells into living systems might have occurred at the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Imai
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Yuka Sakuma
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Minoru Kurisu
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Peter Walde
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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2
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Zhang M, Zhang Y, Mu W, Dong M, Han X. In Situ Synthesis of Lipid Analogues Leading to Artificial Cell Growth and Division. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202200007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mingrui Zhang
- Harbin Institute of Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Ying Zhang
- Heilongjiang Institute of Technology College of Materials and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Wei Mu
- Harbin Institute of Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CHINA
| | - Mingdong Dong
- Aarhus Universitet Interdisciplinary Nanosci Ctr iNANO DENMARK
| | - Xiaojun Han
- Harbin Institute of Technology School of Chemical Engineering and Technology No.92, West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China 150001 harbin CHINA
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3
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Robust Dynamics of Synthetic Molecular Systems as a Consequence of Broken Symmetry. Symmetry (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sym12101688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The construction of molecular robot-like objects that imitate living things is an important challenge for current chemists. Such molecular devices are expected to perform their duties robustly to carry out mechanical motion, process information, and make independent decisions. Dissipative self-organization plays an essential role in meeting these purposes. To produce a micro-robot that can perform the above tasks autonomously as a single entity, a function generator is required. Although many elegant review articles featuring chemical devices that mimic biological mechanical functions have been published recently, the dissipative structure, which is the minimum requirement for mimicking these functions, has not been sufficiently discussed. This article aims to show clearly that dissipative self-organization is a phenomenon involving autonomy, robustness, mechanical functions, and energy transformation. Moreover, it reports the results of recent experiments with an autonomous light-driven molecular device that achieves all of these features. In addition, a chemical model of cell-amplification is also discussed to focus on the generation of hierarchical movement by dissipative self-organization. By reviewing this research, it may be perceived that mainstream approaches to synthetic chemistry have not always been appropriate. In summary, the author proposes that the integration of catalytic functions is a key issue for the creation of autonomous microarchitecture.
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4
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Sun R, Xia Q. In vitro digestion behavior of (W1/O/W2) double emulsions incorporated in alginate hydrogel beads: Microstructure, lipolysis, and release. Food Hydrocoll 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2020.105950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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5
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Miele Y, Medveczky Z, Holló G, Tegze B, Derényi I, Hórvölgyi Z, Altamura E, Lagzi I, Rossi F. Self-division of giant vesicles driven by an internal enzymatic reaction. Chem Sci 2020; 11:3228-3235. [PMID: 34122829 PMCID: PMC8157745 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc05195c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-division is one of the most common phenomena in living systems and one of the most important properties of life driven by internal mechanisms of cells. Design and engineering of synthetic cells from abiotic components can recreate a life-like function thus contributing to the understanding of the origin of life. Existing methods to induce the self-division of vesicles require external and non-autonomous triggers (temperature change and the addition of membrane precursors). Here we show that pH-responsive giant unilamellar vesicles on the micrometer scale can undergo self-division triggered by an internal autonomous chemical stimulus driven by an enzymatic (urea-urease) reaction coupled to a cross-membrane transport of the substrate, urea. The bilayer of the artificial cells is composed of a mixture of phospholipids (POPC, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine) and oleic acid molecules. The enzymatic reaction increases the pH in the lumen of the vesicles, which concomitantly changes the protonation state of the oleic acid in the inner leaflet of the bilayer causing the removal of the membrane building blocks into the lumen of the vesicles thus decreasing the inner membrane area with respect to the outer one. This process coupled to the osmotic stress (responsible for the volume loss of the vesicles) leads to the division of a mother vesicle into two smaller daughter vesicles. These two processes must act in synergy; none of them alone can induce the division. Overall, our self-dividing system represents a step forward in the design and engineering of a complex autonomous model of synthetic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ylenia Miele
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "A. Zambelli", University of Salerno Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 - Fisciano SA Italy
| | - Zsófia Medveczky
- Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111, Budafoki ut 8 Budapest Hungary
| | - Gábor Holló
- MTA-BME Condensed Matter Research Group, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111, Budafoki út 8 Budapest Hungary
| | - Borbála Tegze
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111 Budafoki ut 8 Budapest Hungary
| | - Imre Derényi
- Department of Biological Physics, Eötvös Loránd University H-1117 Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A Budapest Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Statistical and Biological Physics Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University H-1117 Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A Budapest Hungary
| | - Zoltán Hórvölgyi
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111 Budafoki ut 8 Budapest Hungary
| | - Emiliano Altamura
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bari, "Aldo Moro" Via Orabona 4 I-70125 Bari Italy
| | - István Lagzi
- Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111, Budafoki ut 8 Budapest Hungary
- MTA-BME Condensed Matter Research Group, Budapest University of Technology and Economics H-1111, Budafoki út 8 Budapest Hungary
| | - Federico Rossi
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "A. Zambelli", University of Salerno Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 - Fisciano SA Italy
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Physical Sciences - DEEP Sciences, University of Siena Pian dei Mantellini 44 53100 - Siena Italy
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6
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian Vogele
- Physik-DepartmentTechnische Universitat Munchen, TU München Garching Germany
| | - Tobias Pirzer
- Physik-DepartmentTechnische Universitat Munchen, TU München Garching Germany
| | - Friedrich C. Simmel
- Physik-DepartmentTechnische Universitat Munchen, TU München Garching Germany
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7
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Matsuo M, Ohyama S, Sakurai K, Toyota T, Suzuki K, Sugawara T. A sustainable self-reproducing liposome consisting of a synthetic phospholipid. Chem Phys Lipids 2019; 222:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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8
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Matsuo M, Kan Y, Kurihara K, Jimbo T, Imai M, Toyota T, Hirata Y, Suzuki K, Sugawara T. DNA Length-dependent Division of a Giant Vesicle-based Model Protocell. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6916. [PMID: 31061467 PMCID: PMC6502804 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43367-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA is an essential carrier of sequence-based genetic information for all life today. However, the chemical and physical properties of DNA may also affect the structure and dynamics of a vesicle-based model protocell in which it is encapsulated. To test these effects, we constructed a polyethylene glycol-grafted giant vesicle system capable of undergoing growth and division. The system incorporates a specific interaction between DNA and lipophilic catalysts as well as components of PCR. We found that vesicle division depends on the length of the encapsulated DNA, and the self-assembly of an internal supramolecular catalyst possibly leads to the direct causal relationship between DNA length and the capacity of the vesicle to self-reproduce. These results may help elucidate how nucleic acids could have functioned in the division of prebiotic protocells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muneyuki Matsuo
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan.,Department of Creative Research, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yumi Kan
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Ochanomizu University, Otsuka, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 112-8610, Japan
| | - Kensuke Kurihara
- Department of Creative Research, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.,Determent of Life and Coordination-Complex Molecular Science, Biomolecular Functions, Institute for Molecular Science, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Takehiro Jimbo
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Masayuki Imai
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Ochanomizu University, Otsuka, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 112-8610, Japan.,Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Taro Toyota
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan. .,Universal Biology Institute, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
| | - Yuiko Hirata
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Tsuchiya, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, 259-1293, Japan
| | - Kentaro Suzuki
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Tsuchiya, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, 259-1293, Japan
| | - Tadashi Sugawara
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Tsuchiya, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, 259-1293, Japan.
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9
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Armstrong DL, Lancet D, Zidovetzki R. Replication of Simulated Prebiotic Amphiphilic Vesicles in a Finite Environment Exhibits Complex Behavior That Includes High Progeny Variability and Competition. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:419-430. [PMID: 29634319 PMCID: PMC5910049 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We studied the simulated replication and growth of prebiotic vesicles composed of 140 phospholipids and cholesterol using our R-GARD (Real Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain) formalism that utilizes currently extant lipids that have known rate constants of lipid-vesicle interactions from published experimental data. R-GARD normally modifies kinetic parameters of lipid-vesicle interactions based on vesicle composition and properties. Our original R-GARD model tracked the growth and division of one vesicle at a time in an environment with unlimited lipids at a constant concentration. We explore here a modified model where vesicles compete for a finite supply of lipids. We observed that vesicles exhibit complex behavior including initial fast unrestricted growth, followed by intervesicle competition for diminishing resources, then a second growth burst driven by better-adapted vesicles, and ending with a final steady state. Furthermore, in simulations without kinetic parameter modifications ("invariant kinetics"), the initial replication was an order of magnitude slower, and vesicles' composition variability at the final steady state was much lower. The complex kinetic behavior was not observed either in the previously published R-GARD simulations or in additional simulations presented here with only one lipid component. This demonstrates that both a finite environment (inducing selection) and multiple components (providing variation for selection to act upon) are crucial for portraying evolution-like behavior. Such properties can improve survival in a changing environment by increasing the ability of early protocellular entities to respond to rapid environmental fluctuations likely present during abiogenesis both on Earth and possibly on other planets. This in silico simulation predicts that a relatively simple in vitro chemical system containing only lipid molecules might exhibit properties that are relevant to prebiotic processes. Key Words: Phospholipid vesicles-Prebiotic compartments-Prebiotic vesicle competition-Prebiotic vesicle variability. Astrobiology 18, 419-430.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don L. Armstrong
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Doron Lancet
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Raphael Zidovetzki
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
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10
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Li W, McManus D, Liu H, Casiraghi C, Webb SJ. Aqueous dispersions of nanostructures formed through the self-assembly of iminolipids with exchangeable hydrophobic termini. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017. [PMID: 28642943 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp02868g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The addition of amines to an aldehyde surfactant, which was designed to be analogous to didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, gave exchangeable "iminolipids" that self-assembled to give stable aqueous dispersions of nano-sized vesicles. For example, sonication of suspensions of the n-hexylamine-derived iminolipid gave vesicles 50 to 200 nm in diameter that could encapsulate a water-soluble dye. The iminolipids could undergo dynamic exchange with added amines, and the resulting equilibrium constants (Krel) were quantified by 1H NMR spectroscopy. In the absence of lipid self-assembly, in CDCl3, the assayed primary amines gave very similar Krel values. However in D2O the value of Krel generally increased with increasing amine hydrophobicity, consistent with partitioning into a self-assembled bilayer. Amines with aromatic groups showed significantly higher values of Krel in D2O compared to similarly hydrophobic alkylamines, suggesting that π-π interactions favor lipid self-assembly. Given this synergistic relationship, π-rich pyrenyliminolipids were created and used to exfoliate graphite, leading to aqueous dispersions of graphene flakes that were stable over several months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li
- School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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11
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Walde P, Umakoshi H, Stano P, Mavelli F. Emergent properties arising from the assembly of amphiphiles. Artificial vesicle membranes as reaction promoters and regulators. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 50:10177-97. [PMID: 24921467 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc02812k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This article deals with artificial vesicles and their membranes as reaction promoters and regulators. Among the various molecular assemblies which can form in an aqueous medium from amphiphilic molecules, vesicle systems are unique. Vesicles compartmentalize the aqueous solution in which they exist, independent on whether the vesicles are biological vesicles (existing in living systems) or whether they are artificial vesicles (formed in vitro from natural or synthetic amphiphiles). After the formation of artificial vesicles, their aqueous interior (the endovesicular volume) may become - or may be made - chemically different from the external medium (the exovesicular solution), depending on how the vesicles are prepared. The existence of differences between endo- and exovesicular composition is one of the features on the basis of which biological vesicles contribute to the complex functioning of living organisms. Furthermore, artificial vesicles can be formed from mixtures of amphiphiles in such a way that the vesicle membranes become molecularly, compositionally and organizationally highly complex, similarly to the lipidic matrix of biological membranes. All the various properties of artificial vesicles as membranous compartment systems emerge from molecular assembly as these properties are not present in the individual molecules the system is composed of. One particular emergent property of vesicle membranes is their possible functioning as promoters and regulators of chemical reactions caused by the localization of reaction components, and possibly catalysts, within or on the surface of the membranes. This specific feature is reviewed and highlighted with a few selected examples which range from the promotion of decarboxylation reactions, the selective binding of DNA or RNA to suitable vesicle membranes, and the reactivation of fragmented enzymes to the regulation of the enzymatic synthesis of polymers. Such type of emergent properties of vesicle membranes may have been important for the prebiological evolution of protocells, the hypothetical compartment systems preceding the first cells in those chemical and physico-chemical processes that led to the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Walde
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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12
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Sakuma Y, Imai M. From vesicles to protocells: the roles of amphiphilic molecules. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:651-75. [PMID: 25738256 PMCID: PMC4390873 DOI: 10.3390/life5010651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2014] [Revised: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is very challenging to construct protocells from molecular assemblies. An important step in this challenge is the achievement of vesicle dynamics that are relevant to cellular functions, such as membrane trafficking and self-reproduction, using amphiphilic molecules. Soft matter physics will play an important role in the development of vesicles that have these functions. Here, we show that simple binary phospholipid vesicles have the potential to reproduce the relevant functions of adhesion, pore formation and self-reproduction of vesicles, by coupling the lipid geometries (spontaneous curvatures) and the phase separation. This achievement will elucidate the pathway from molecular assembly to cellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Sakuma
- Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Masayuki Imai
- Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
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13
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Ikuta N, Takizawa SY, Murata S. Photochemical reduction of CO2 with ascorbate in aqueous solution using vesicles acting as photocatalysts. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2014; 13:691-702. [DOI: 10.1039/c3pp50429h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report a novel system of visible-light-driven CO2 reduction to CO in an aqueous solution, in which DPPC vesicles dispersed in the solution act as a photocatalyst using ascorbate (HAsc−) as an electron source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Ikuta
- Department of Basic Science
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- The University of Tokyo
- Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Shin-ya Takizawa
- Department of Basic Science
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- The University of Tokyo
- Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Shigeru Murata
- Department of Basic Science
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- The University of Tokyo
- Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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14
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Sato Y, Yasuhara K, Kikuchi JI, Sato TN. Synthetic cell division system: controlling equal vs. unequal divisions by design. Sci Rep 2013; 3:3475. [PMID: 24327069 PMCID: PMC3858794 DOI: 10.1038/srep03475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell division is one of the most fundamental and evolutionarily conserved biological processes. Here, we report a synthetic system where we can control by design equal vs. unequal divisions. We synthesized a micro-scale inverse amphipathic droplet of which division is triggered by the increase of surface to volume ratio. Using this system, we succeeded in selectively inducing equal vs. unequal divisions of the droplet cells by adjusting the temperature or the viscosity of the solvent outside the droplet cell accordingly. Our synthetic division system may provide a platform for further development to a system where intracellular contents of the parent droplet cell could be divided into various ratios between the two daughter droplet cells to control their functions and fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoichi Sato
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
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15
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Ruiz-Mirazo K, Briones C, de la Escosura A. Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life. Chem Rev 2013; 114:285-366. [DOI: 10.1021/cr2004844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 563] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo
- Biophysics
Unit (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Leioa, and Department of Logic and Philosophy
of Science, University of the Basque Country, Avenida de Tolosa 70, 20080 Donostia−San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Carlos Briones
- Department
of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC−INTA, associated to the NASA Astrobiology Institute), Carretera de Ajalvir, Km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés de la Escosura
- Organic
Chemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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16
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17
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Bissette AJ, Fletcher SP. Mechanisms of Autocatalysis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 52:12800-26. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201303822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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18
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Saka K, Kawahara M, Nagamune T. Reconstitution of a cytokine receptor scaffold utilizing multiple different tyrosine motifs. Biotechnol Bioeng 2013; 110:3197-204. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.24973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2013] [Revised: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro Saka
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering; The University of Tokyo; 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
| | - Masahiro Kawahara
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering; The University of Tokyo; 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
| | - Teruyuki Nagamune
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering; The University of Tokyo; 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
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19
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Giustini M, Giuliani AM, Gennaro G. Natural or synthetic nucleic acids encapsulated in a closed cavity of amphiphiles. RSC Adv 2013. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ra23208e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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20
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Suzuki K, Aboshi R, Kurihara K, Sugawara T. Adhesion and Fusion of Two Kinds of Phospholipid Hybrid Vesicles Controlled by Surface Charges of Vesicular Membranes. CHEM LETT 2012. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.2012.789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Suzuki
- Research Center of Life Science as Complex Systems, The University of Tokyo
| | - Ryo Aboshi
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Kensuke Kurihara
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Tadashi Sugawara
- Research Center of Life Science as Complex Systems, The University of Tokyo
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21
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Sankaranarayanan K, Hakkim V, Nair B, Dhathathreyan A. Nanoclusters of nickel oxide using giant vesicles. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2012.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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22
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Coupling of the fusion and budding of giant phospholipid vesicles containing macromolecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:5942-7. [PMID: 22474340 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120327109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms that enabled primitive cell membranes to self-reproduce have been discussed based on the physicochemical properties of fatty acids; however, there must be a transition to modern cell membranes composed of phospholipids [Budin I, Szostak JW (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:5249-5254]. Thus, a growth-division mechanism of membranes that does not depend on the chemical nature of amphiphilic molecules must have existed. Here, we show that giant unilamellar vesicles composed of phospholipids can undergo the coupled process of fusion and budding transformation, which mimics cell growth and division. After gaining excess membrane by electrofusion, giant vesicles spontaneously transform into the budded shape only when they contain macromolecules (polymers) inside their aqueous core. This process is a result of the vesicle maximizing the translational entropy of the encapsulated polymers (depletion volume effect). Because the cell is a lipid membrane bag containing highly concentrated biopolymers, this coupling process that is induced by physical and nonspecific interactions may have a general importance in the self-reproduction of the early cellular compartments.
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Hadorn M, Boenzli E, Hotz PE. A quantitative analytical method to test for salt effects on giant unilamellar vesicles. Sci Rep 2011; 1:168. [PMID: 22355683 PMCID: PMC3240971 DOI: 10.1038/srep00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Today, free-standing membranes, i.e. liposomes and vesicles, are used in a multitude of
applications, e.g. as drug delivery devices and artificial cell models. Because current
laboratory techniques do not allow handling of large sample sizes, systematic and
quantitative studies on the impact of different effectors, e.g. electrolytes, are limited.
In this work, we evaluated the Hofmeister effects of ten alkali metal halides on giant
unilamellar vesicles made of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine for a large sample size by
combining the highly parallel water-in-oil emulsion transfer vesicle preparation method with
automatic haemocytometry. We found that this new quantitative screening method is highly
reliable and consistent with previously reported results. Thus, this method may provide a
significant methodological advance in analysis of effects on free-standing model
membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maik Hadorn
- Center for Fundamental Living Technology (FLinT), Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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24
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Wang G, Wang C, Wang Z, Zhang X. Bolaform superamphiphile based on a dynamic covalent bond and its self-assembly in water. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2011; 27:12375-12380. [PMID: 21905672 DOI: 10.1021/la203040e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We have employed a dynamic covalent bond to fabricate a bolaform superamphiphile, which can be used as building blocks for controlled assembly and disassembly. In alkaline environment, one building block bearing a benzoic aldehyde group can react with the other building block bearing an amino group to form a bolaform superamphiphile. It is found that the bolaform superamphiphiles can self-assemble in water to form micellar aggregates. When the pH is tuned down to slightly acidic values, the benzoic imine bond can be hydrolyzed, leading to the dissociation of the superamphiphile. The micellar aggregates will also disassemble, and the loaded guest molecules are released subsequently. This line of research has enriched the family of bolaform amphiphiles, and the resulting assemblies may find application in the field of controlled and targetable drug-delivery in a biological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangtong Wang
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
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25
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Self-reproduction of supramolecular giant vesicles combined with the amplification of encapsulated DNA. Nat Chem 2011; 3:775-81. [DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 407] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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26
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Minkenberg CB, Li F, van Rijn P, Florusse L, Boekhoven J, Stuart MCA, Koper GJM, Eelkema R, van Esch JH. Responsive Vesicles from Dynamic Covalent Surfactants. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011; 50:3421-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201007401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2010] [Revised: 01/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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27
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Minkenberg CB, Li F, van Rijn P, Florusse L, Boekhoven J, Stuart MCA, Koper GJM, Eelkema R, van Esch JH. Responsive Vesicles from Dynamic Covalent Surfactants. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201007401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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28
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Hema Sagar G, Tiwari MD, Bellare JR. Flow Cytometry As a Novel Tool to Evaluate and Separate Vesicles Using Characteristic Scatter Signatures. J Phys Chem B 2010; 114:10010-6. [DOI: 10.1021/jp1027433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Giddi Hema Sagar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, and Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Science, IIT Bombay, Mumbai- 400076, India
| | - Manu D. Tiwari
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, and Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Science, IIT Bombay, Mumbai- 400076, India
| | - Jayesh R. Bellare
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, and Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Science, IIT Bombay, Mumbai- 400076, India
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29
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Stano P, Luisi PL. Achievements and open questions in the self-reproduction of vesicles and synthetic minimal cells. Chem Commun (Camb) 2010; 46:3639-53. [PMID: 20442914 DOI: 10.1039/b913997d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular chemistry was enriched, about twenty years ago, by the discovery of the self-reproduction of micelles and vesicles. The dynamic aspects and complexity of these systems makes them good models for biological compartments. For example, the self-reproduction of vesicles suggests that the growth in size and number of a vesicle population resembles the pattern of living cells in several aspects, but it take place solely due to physical forces. Several reports demonstrate that reverse micelles, micelles, sub-micrometric and giant vesicles can self-reproduce, generating new particles at the expenses of a suitable precursor. Recently, similar studies are in progress on more complex vesicle-based systems, namely semi-synthetic minimal cells. These are artificial cell-like compartments that are built by filling liposomes with the minimal number of biomolecules, such as DNA, ribosomes, enzymes, etc., in order to construct a living cell in the laboratory. This approach aims to investigate the minimal requirements for molecular systems in order to display some living properties, while it finds relevance in origins of life studies and in synthetic (constructive) biology.
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Takahashi H, Kageyama Y, Kurihara K, Takakura K, Murata S, Sugawara T. Autocatalytic membrane-amplification on a pre-existing vesicular surface. Chem Commun (Camb) 2010; 46:8791-3. [DOI: 10.1039/c0cc02758h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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31
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Suzuki K, Toyota T, Takakura K, Sugawara T. Sparkling Morphological Changes and Spontaneous Movements of Self-assemblies in Water Induced by Chemical Reactions. CHEM LETT 2009. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.2009.1010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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32
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Nishimura K, Hosoi T, Sunami T, Toyota T, Fujinami M, Oguma K, Matsuura T, Suzuki H, Yomo T. Population analysis of structural properties of giant liposomes by flow cytometry. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2009; 25:10439-10443. [PMID: 19670878 DOI: 10.1021/la902237y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We used fluorescence flow cytometry to analyze the structural properties of populations of giant liposomes formed by different preparation methods. The inner aqueous volumes and nominal membrane surface areas of a large number of individual liposomes were measured simultaneously by using fluorescent markers. We compared these properties of liposomes prepared by the natural swelling method, the freeze-dried empty liposomes method, and the water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion method. A two-dimensional contour distribution map of the inner volume and the nominal surface area was used to elucidate the structural properties of liposomes over a wide range of liposome sizes. Lamellarity of liposomes was evaluated as the ratio of the nominal surface area to the theoretical surface area calculated from the liposome inner volume. This population analysis revealed the dependency of lamellarity on liposome volume: while the nominal surface areas of populations of liposomes prepared by the natural swelling and the freeze-dried empty liposome methods were widely distributed, those prepared by the W/O emulsion method had a narrower distribution within small values. Furthermore, with the latter method, the nominal surface area varied in proportion to the two-thirds power of the inner volume ranging for several orders of magnitude, indicating the liposomes had a thin membrane, which was constant for the wide volume range. The results as well as the methodology presented here would be useful in designing giant liposomes with desired properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Nishimura
- Department of Bioinformatic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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33
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34
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Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Pino S, Di Mauro E. Spontaneous Generation Revisited at the Molecular Level. Evol Biol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-00952-5_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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35
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Hosoda K, Sunami T, Kazuta Y, Matsuura T, Suzuki H, Yomo T. Quantitative study of the structure of multilamellar giant liposomes as a container of protein synthesis reaction. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2008; 24:13540-13548. [PMID: 18959434 DOI: 10.1021/la802432f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Liposomes are widely used as cell-sized compartments for encapsulation of biochemical reaction systems to construct model cell systems. However, liposomes are usually diverse in both size and structure, resulting in highly heterogeneous properties as microreactors. Here, we report the development of a strategy to investigate the internal structure of giant multilamellar vesicles (GMLVs) formed by the freeze-dried empty liposomes (FDEL) method as containers of an in vitro transcription/translation system. To evaluate the occurrence of the protein synthesis reaction in GMLVs, we designed a cascade reaction system in which a synthesized enzyme hydrolyzes the fluorescent substrate, and thus the space where the reaction takes place in liposomes becomes fluorescent. We found that only a part of the liposome was reactable and not the entire internal volume, i.e., the hydrolysis reaction took place in only a part of the fractured compartment volumes in GMLVs. Simultaneous measurement of the whole internal volume of the liposomes and the quantity of reaction product of more than 100 000 liposomes using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) revealed that the distribution of reactable volume was proportional to the whole internal volume regardless of the liposome size, i.e., the relation between the quantity of whole and reactable volume in GMLV was found to be scale-free. This information would allow us to reduce the geometric parameters of GMLV for quantitative analysis of reaction kinetics in liposomes. The present measurement and analysis method will be an indispensable tool for exploring high-dimensional properties of a model cell system based on giant liposomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazufumi Hosoda
- Department of Bioinformatic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 2-1, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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36
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Hatakeyama M, Hashimoto T. The diversification of proto-cells driven by membrane permselectivity. ARTIFICIAL LIFE AND ROBOTICS 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10015-008-0549-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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