1
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Adamala KP, Dogterom M, Elani Y, Schwille P, Takinoue M, Tang TYD. Present and future of synthetic cell development. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:162-167. [PMID: 38102450 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00686-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna P Adamala
- Department of Genetics, Cellular Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Marileen Dogterom
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Yuval Elani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- FabriCELL, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, UK.
| | - Petra Schwille
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Masahiro Takinoue
- Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
| | - T-Y Dora Tang
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
- Synthetic Biology, Department of Biology, University of Saarland, Saarbrucken, Germany.
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2
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Takinoue M. DNA droplets for intelligent and dynamical artificial cells: from the viewpoint of computation and non-equilibrium systems. Interface Focus 2023; 13:20230021. [PMID: 37577000 PMCID: PMC10415743 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2023.0021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Living systems are molecular assemblies whose dynamics are maintained by non-equilibrium chemical reactions. To date, artificial cells have been studied from such physical and chemical viewpoints. This review briefly gives a perspective on using DNA droplets in constructing artificial cells. A DNA droplet is a coacervate composed of DNA nanostructures, a novel category of synthetic DNA self-assembled systems. The DNA droplets have programmability in physical properties based on DNA base sequence design. The aspect of DNA as an information molecule allows physical and chemical control of nanostructure formation, molecular assembly and molecular reactions through the design of DNA base pairing. As a result, the construction of artificial cells equipped with non-equilibrium behaviours such as dynamical motions, phase separations, molecular sensing and computation using chemical energy is becoming possible. This review mainly focuses on such dynamical DNA droplets for artificial cell research in terms of computation and non-equilibrium chemical reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Takinoue
- Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8502, Japan
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8502, Japan
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
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3
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Cash B, Gaut NJ, Deich C, Johnson LL, Engelhart AE, Adamala KP. Parasites, Infections, and Inoculation in Synthetic Minimal Cells. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:7045-7056. [PMID: 36844541 PMCID: PMC9948217 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic minimal cells provide a controllable and engineerable model for biological processes. While much simpler than any live natural cell, synthetic cells offer a chassis for investigating the chemical foundations of key biological processes. Herein, we show a synthetic cell system with host cells, interacting with parasites and undergoing infections of varying severity. We demonstrate how the host can be engineered to resist infection, we investigate the metabolic cost of carrying resistance, and we show an inoculation that immunizes the host against pathogens. Our work expands the synthetic cell engineering toolbox by demonstrating host-pathogen interactions and mechanisms for acquiring immunity. This brings synthetic cell systems one step closer to providing a comprehensive model of complex, natural life.
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4
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Zong W, Shao X, Li J, Chai Y, Hu X, Zhang X. Synthetic Intracellular Environments: From Basic Science to Applications. Anal Chem 2023; 95:535-549. [PMID: 36625127 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zong
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, No. 42 Wenhua Street, Qiqihar161006, China
| | - Xiaotong Shao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, No. 42 Wenhua Street, Qiqihar161006, China
| | - Jinlong Li
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, No. 42 Wenhua Street, Qiqihar161006, China.,Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Synthesis for Fine Chemicals, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar161006, China
| | - Yunhe Chai
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, No. 42 Wenhua Street, Qiqihar161006, China
| | - Xinyu Hu
- Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices (Wenzhou), College of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou325035, China
| | - Xunan Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, No. 42 Wenhua Street, Qiqihar161006, China
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5
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Shimomura A, Ina S, Oki M, Tsuji G. Effects of Charged Lipids on Giant Unilamellar Vesicle Fusion and Inner Content Mixing via Freeze-Thawing. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200550. [PMID: 36321751 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Fusion between giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) can incorporate and mix components of biochemical reactions. Recently, GUV fusion induced by freeze-thawing (F/T) was employed to construct artificial cells that can easily and repeatedly fuse GUVs with efficient content mixing. However, GUVs were ruptured during F/T, and the inner contents leaked. Herein, we investigated the effects of charged lipids on GUV fusion via F/T. The presence of 10 %-50 % (w/w%) negatively charged lipids in GUV membranes, mainly composed of the neutral charged lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), improved resistance to GUV rupture and decreased inner content leakage. Furthermore, we found that the presence of positively charged lipids in GUV membranes elevated GUV rupture compared with F/T between GUVs containing POPC alone. Modified GUVs may better incorporate nutrients and lipid membranes with less damage following GUV fusion via F/T, providing an improved artificial model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayu Shimomura
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Shiori Ina
- Department of Materials Science and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Masaya Oki
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan.,Department of Materials Science and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan.,Life Science Innovation Center, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Gakushi Tsuji
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan.,Department of Materials Science and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan.,Life Science Innovation Center, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
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6
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A microfluidic optimal experimental design platform for forward design of cell-free genetic networks. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3626. [PMID: 35750678 PMCID: PMC9232554 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31306-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free protein synthesis has been widely used as a “breadboard” for design of synthetic genetic networks. However, due to a severe lack of modularity, forward engineering of genetic networks remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate how a combination of optimal experimental design and microfluidics allows us to devise dynamic cell-free gene expression experiments providing maximum information content for subsequent non-linear model identification. Importantly, we reveal that applying this methodology to a library of genetic circuits, that share common elements, further increases the information content of the data resulting in higher accuracy of model parameters. To show modularity of model parameters, we design a pulse decoder and bistable switch, and predict their behaviour both qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, we update the parameter database and indicate that network topology affects parameter estimation accuracy. Utilizing our methodology provides us with more accurate model parameters, a necessity for forward engineering of complex genetic networks. Characterization of cell-free genetic networks is inherently difficult. Here the authors use optimal experimental design and microfluidics to improve characterization, demonstrating modularity and predictability of parts in applied test cases.
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7
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Wang C, Yang J, Lu Y. Modularize and Unite: Toward Creating a Functional Artificial Cell. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:781986. [PMID: 34912849 PMCID: PMC8667554 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.781986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An artificial cell is a simplified model of a living system, bringing breakthroughs into both basic life science and applied research. The bottom-up strategy instructs the construction of an artificial cell from nonliving materials, which could be complicated and interdisciplinary considering the inherent complexity of living cells. Although significant progress has been achieved in the past 2 decades, the area is still facing some problems, such as poor compatibility with complex bio-systems, instability, and low standardization of the construction method. In this review, we propose creating artificial cells through the integration of different functional modules. Furthermore, we divide the function requirements of an artificial cell into four essential parts (metabolism, energy supplement, proliferation, and communication) and discuss the present researches. Then we propose that the compartment and the reestablishment of the communication system would be essential for the reasonable integration of functional modules. Although enormous challenges remain, the modular construction would facilitate the simplification and standardization of an artificial cell toward a natural living system. This function-based strategy would also broaden the application of artificial cells and represent the steps of imitating and surpassing nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Junzhu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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8
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Controlled metabolic cascades for protein synthesis in an artificial cell. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2143-2151. [PMID: 34623386 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, researchers have been pursuing a method to design and to construct life forms from scratch - in other words, to create artificial cells. In many studies, artificial cellular membranes have been successfully fabricated, allowing the research field to grow by leaps and bounds. Moreover, in addition to lipid bilayer membranes, proteins are essential factors required to construct any cellular metabolic reaction; for that reason, different cell-free expression systems under various conditions to achieve the goal of controlling the synthetic cascades of proteins in a confined area have been reported. Thus, in this review, we will discuss recent issues and strategies, enabling to control protein synthesis cascades that are being used, particularly in research on artificial cells.
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9
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Garenne D, Thompson S, Brisson A, Khakimzhan A, Noireaux V. The all-E. coliTXTL toolbox 3.0: new capabilities of a cell-free synthetic biology platform. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2021; 6:ysab017. [PMID: 34712841 PMCID: PMC8546610 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysab017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The new generation of cell-free gene expression systems enables the prototyping and engineering of biological systems in vitro over a remarkable scope of applications and physical scales. As the utilization of DNA-directed in vitro protein synthesis expands in scope, developing more powerful cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) platforms remains a major goal to either execute larger DNA programs or improve cell-free biomanufacturing capabilities. In this work, we report the capabilities of the all-E. coli TXTL toolbox 3.0, a multipurpose cell-free expression system specifically developed for synthetic biology. In non-fed batch-mode reactions, the synthesis of the fluorescent reporter protein eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) reaches 4 mg/ml. In synthetic cells, consisting of liposomes loaded with a TXTL reaction, eGFP is produced at concentrations of >8 mg/ml when the chemical building blocks feeding the reaction diffuse through membrane channels to facilitate exchanges with the outer solution. The bacteriophage T7, encoded by a genome of 40 kb and ∼60 genes, is produced at a concentration of 1013 PFU/ml (plaque forming unit/ml). This TXTL system extends the current cell-free expression capabilities by offering unique strength and properties, for testing regulatory elements and circuits, biomanufacturing biologics or building synthetic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Garenne
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seth Thompson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Amaury Brisson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Aset Khakimzhan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Vincent Noireaux
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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10
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Gao N, Li M, Tian L, Patil AJ, Pavan Kumar BVVS, Mann S. Chemical-mediated translocation in protocell-based microactuators. Nat Chem 2021; 13:868-879. [PMID: 34168327 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00728-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Artificial cell-like communities participate in diverse modes of chemical interaction but exhibit minimal interfacing with their local environment. Here we develop an interactive microsystem based on the immobilization of a population of enzyme-active semipermeable proteinosomes within a helical hydrogel filament to implement signal-induced movement. We attach large single-polynucleotide/peptide microcapsules at one or both ends of the helical protocell filament to produce free-standing soft microactuators that sense and process chemical signals to perform mechanical work. Different modes of translocation are achieved by synergistic or antagonistic enzyme reactions located within the helical connector or inside the attached microcapsule loads. Mounting the microactuators on a ratchet-like surface produces a directional push-pull movement. Our methodology opens up a route to protocell-based chemical systems capable of utilizing mechanical work and provides a step towards the engineering of soft microscale objects with increased levels of operational autonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Gao
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Mei Li
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China.
| | - Liangfei Tian
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Avinash J Patil
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - B V V S Pavan Kumar
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India
| | - Stephen Mann
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China.
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11
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Singhal V, Tuza ZA, Sun ZZ, Murray RM. A MATLAB toolbox for modeling genetic circuits in cell-free systems. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2021; 6:ysab007. [PMID: 33981862 PMCID: PMC8102020 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysab007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We introduce a MATLAB-based simulation toolbox, called txtlsim, for an Escherichia coli-based Transcription-Translation (TX-TL) system. This toolbox accounts for several cell-free-related phenomena, such as resource loading, consumption and degradation, and in doing so, models the dynamics of TX-TL reactions for the entire duration of solution phase batch-mode experiments. We use a Bayesian parameter inference approach to characterize the reaction rate parameters associated with the core transcription, translation and mRNA degradation mechanics of the toolbox, allowing it to reproduce constitutive mRNA and protein-expression trajectories. We demonstrate the use of this characterized toolbox in a circuit behavior prediction case study for an incoherent feed-forward loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipul Singhal
- Spatial and Single Cell Systems Domain, Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis St, 138672, Singapore
| | - Zoltan A Tuza
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, SW7 2BU, London, UK
| | - Zachary Z Sun
- Tierra Bioscienes, 1933 Davis St #223, 94577, CA, USA
| | - Richard M Murray
- Control and Dynamical Systems and Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, 91125, CA, USA
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12
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Wang X, Du H, Wang Z, Mu W, Han X. Versatile Phospholipid Assemblies for Functional Synthetic Cells and Artificial Tissues. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2002635. [PMID: 32830387 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The bottom-up construction of a synthetic cell from nonliving building blocks capable of mimicking cellular properties and behaviors helps to understand the particular biophysical properties and working mechanisms of a cell. A synthetic cell built in this way possesses defined chemical composition and structure. Since phospholipids are native biomembrane components, their assemblies are widely used to mimic cellular structures. Here, recent developments in the formation of versatile phospholipid assemblies are described, together with the applications of these assemblies for functional membranes (protein reconstituted giant unilamellar vesicles), spherical and nonspherical protoorganelles, and functional synthetic cells, as well as the high-order hierarchical structures of artificial tissues. Their biomedical applications are also briefly summarized. Finally, the challenges and future directions in the field of synthetic cells and artificial tissues based on phospholipid assemblies are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Hang Du
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
- Marine Antifouling Engineering Technology Center of Shangdong Province, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, 264209, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Wei Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Xiaojun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
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13
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Zhang X, Shao X, Cai Z, Yan X, Zong W. The fabrication of phospholipid vesicle-based artificial cells and their functions. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0nj05538g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Phospholipid vesicles as artificial cells are used to simulate the cellular structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xunan Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Qiqihar University
- Qiqihar
- China
| | - Xiaotong Shao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Qiqihar University
- Qiqihar
- China
| | - Zhenzhen Cai
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Qiqihar University
- Qiqihar
- China
| | - Xinyu Yan
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Qiqihar University
- Qiqihar
- China
| | - Wei Zong
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Qiqihar University
- Qiqihar
- China
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14
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Wang C, Geng Y, Sun Q, Xu J, Lu Y. A Sustainable and Efficient Artificial Microgel System: Toward Creating a Configurable Synthetic Cell. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e2002313. [PMID: 33241606 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202002313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Artificial cells are a powerful platform in the study of synthetic biology and other valuable fields. They share a great potential in defining and utilizing the superiority of the living system. Here, a protein synthesis system based on thermal responsive hydrogels with porous structure is reported. The hydrogels can immobilize plasmids on the surface inside their porous structure through a volume phase transition upon 34 °C, forming an aggregation state of DNAs as in nature conditions. The artificial microgels can carry out bioreactions in cell-free systems and exhibit a sustainable and efficient performance for protein translation. The protein synthesis level reaches a maximum of twice more than that in a conventional solution system when the plasmid concentration is 10-20 ng µL-1 , along with a doubled effective interval. This is perhaps attributed to confined transcription and translation processes in the near-surface area of hydrogels. Summarily, the research provides an easy-handling approach in fabricating effective microgels for cell-free synthesis and also inspirations for constructing a configurable artificial cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhao Geng
- The State Key Lab of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhong Xu
- The State Key Lab of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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15
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Cho E, Lu Y. Compartmentalizing Cell-Free Systems: Toward Creating Life-Like Artificial Cells and Beyond. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:2881-2901. [PMID: 33095011 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Building an artificial cell is a research area that is rigorously studied in the field of synthetic biology. It has brought about much attention with the aim of ultimately constructing a natural cell-like structure. In particular, with the more mature cell-free platforms and various compartmentalization methods becoming available, achieving this aim seems not far away. In this review, we discuss the various types of artificial cells capable of hosting several cellular functions. Different compartmental boundaries and the mature and evolving technologies that are used for compartmentalization are examined, and exciting recent advances that overcome or have the potential to address current challenges are discussed. Ultimately, we show how compartmentalization and cell-free systems have, and will, come together to fulfill the goal to assemble a fully synthetic cell that displays functionality and complexity as advanced as that in nature. The development of such artificial cell systems will offer insight into the fundamental study of evolutionary biology and the sea of applications as a result. Although several challenges remain, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence also appear to help pave the way to address them and achieve the ultimate goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunhee Cho
- Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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16
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Liu J, Guo Z, Li Y, Liang J, Xue J, Xu J, Whitelock JM, Xie L, Kong B, Liang K. pH‐Gated Activation of Gene Transcription and Translation in Biocatalytic Metal–Organic Framework Artificial Cells. ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/anbr.202000034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Liu
- Department of Chemistry Laboratory of Advanced Materials Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials iChEM Fudan University Shanghai 200433 China
- School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Ziyi Guo
- School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Yong Li
- National Supercomputer Research Center of Advanced Materials Advanced Materials Institute Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences) Jinan 250014 China
| | - Jieying Liang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Jueyi Xue
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Jiangtao Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - John M. Whitelock
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Lei Xie
- Department of Chemistry Laboratory of Advanced Materials Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials iChEM Fudan University Shanghai 200433 China
| | - Biao Kong
- Department of Chemistry Laboratory of Advanced Materials Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials iChEM Fudan University Shanghai 200433 China
| | - Kang Liang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
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17
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Liu Z, Zhou W, Qi C, Kong T. Interface Engineering in Multiphase Systems toward Synthetic Cells and Organelles: From Soft Matter Fundamentals to Biomedical Applications. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2002932. [PMID: 32954548 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic cells have a major role in gaining insight into the complex biological processes of living cells; they also give rise to a range of emerging applications from gene delivery to enzymatic nanoreactors. Living cells rely on compartmentalization to orchestrate reaction networks for specialized and coordinated functions. Principally, the compartmentalization has been an essential engineering theme in constructing cell-mimicking systems. Here, efforts to engineer liquid-liquid interfaces of multiphase systems into membrane-bounded and membraneless compartments, which include lipid vesicles, polymer vesicles, colloidosomes, hybrids, and coacervate droplets, are summarized. Examples are provided of how these compartments are designed to imitate biological behaviors or machinery, including molecule trafficking, growth, fusion, energy conversion, intercellular communication, and adaptivity. Subsequently, the state-of-art applications of these cell-inspired synthetic compartments are discussed. Apart from being simplified and cell models for bridging the gap between nonliving matter and cellular life, synthetic compartments also are utilized as intracellular delivery vehicles for nuclei acids and nanoreactors for biochemical synthesis. Finally, key challenges and future directions for achieving the full potential of synthetic cells are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Liu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
| | - Cheng Qi
- College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Tiantian Kong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
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18
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Hibi K, Amikura K, Sugiura N, Masuda K, Ohno S, Yokogawa T, Ueda T, Shimizu Y. Reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis using in vitro transcribed tRNAs. Commun Biol 2020; 3:350. [PMID: 32620935 PMCID: PMC7334211 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1074-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Entire reconstitution of tRNAs for active protein production in a cell-free system brings flexibility into the genetic code engineering. It can also contribute to the field of cell-free synthetic biology, which aims to construct self-replicable artificial cells. Herein, we developed a system equipped only with in vitro transcribed tRNA (iVTtRNA) based on a reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis (PURE) system. The developed system, consisting of 21 iVTtRNAs without nucleotide modifications, is able to synthesize active proteins according to the redesigned genetic code. Manipulation of iVTtRNA composition in the system enabled genetic code rewriting. Introduction of modified nucleotides into specific iVTtRNAs demonstrated to be effective for both protein yield and decoding fidelity, where the production yield of DHFR reached about 40% of the reaction with native tRNA at 30°C. The developed system will prove useful for studying decoding processes, and may be employed in genetic code and protein engineering applications. Keita Hibi et al. develop a system to reconstitute cell-free protein synthesis using only in vitro transcribed tRNA (iVTtRNAs). They use 21 iVTtRNAs with and without nucleotide modifications to successfully synthesize functional proteins with about 40% production yield. Their system will be useful to study gene and protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Hibi
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Amikura
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.,Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Naoki Sugiura
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Keiko Masuda
- Laboratory for Cell-Free Protein Synthesis, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Suita, Osaka, 565-0874, Japan
| | - Satoshi Ohno
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Takashi Yokogawa
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Takuya Ueda
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.,Department of Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Shinjuku, 162-8480, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Shimizu
- Laboratory for Cell-Free Protein Synthesis, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Suita, Osaka, 565-0874, Japan.
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19
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Filipczak N, Pan J, Yalamarty SSK, Torchilin VP. Recent advancements in liposome technology. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2020; 156:4-22. [PMID: 32593642 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 257] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The liposomes have continued to be well-recognized as an important nano-sized drug delivery system with attractive properties, such a characteristic bilayer structure assembling the cellular membrane, easy-to-prepare and high bio-compatibility. Extensive effort has been devoted to the development of liposome-based drug delivery systems during the past few decades. Many drug candidates have been encapsulated in liposomes and investigated for reduced toxicity and extended duration of therapeutic effect. The liposomal encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic small molecule therapeutics as well as other large molecule biologics have been established among different academic and industrial research groups. To date, there has been an increasing number of FDA-approved liposomal-based therapeutics together with more and more undergoing clinical trials, which involve a wide range of applications in anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral therapies. In order to meet the continuing demand for new drugs in clinics, more recent advancements have been investigated for optimizing liposomal-based drug delivery system with more reproducible preparation technique and a broadened application to novel modalities, including nucleic acid therapies, CRISPR/Cas9 therapies and immunotherapies. This review focuses on the recent liposome' preparation techniques, the excipients of liposomal formulations used in various novel studies and the routes of administration used to deliver liposomes to targeted areas of disease. It aims to update the research in liposomal delivery and highlights future nanotechnological approaches.
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20
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Morshed A, Karawdeniya BI, Bandara Y, Kim MJ, Dutta P. Mechanical characterization of vesicles and cells: A review. Electrophoresis 2020; 41:449-470. [PMID: 31967658 PMCID: PMC7567447 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201900362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Vesicles perform many essential functions in all living organisms. They respond like a transducer to mechanical stress in converting the applied force into mechanical and biological responses. At the same time, both biochemical and biophysical signals influence the vesicular response in bearing mechanical loads. In recent years, liposomes, artificial lipid vesicles, have gained substantial attention from the pharmaceutical industry as a prospective drug carrier which can also serve as an artificial cell-mimetic system. The ability of these vesicles to enter through pores of even smaller size makes them ideal candidates for therapeutic agents to reach the infected sites effectively. Engineering of vesicles with desired mechanical properties that can encapsulate drugs and release as required is the prime challenge in this field. This requirement has led to the modifications of the composition of the bilayer membrane by adding cholesterol, sphingomyelin, etc. In this article, we review the manufacturing and characterization techniques of various artificial/synthetic vesicles. We particularly focus on the electric field-driven characterization techniques to determine different properties of vesicle and its membranes, such as bending rigidity, viscosity, capacitance, conductance, etc., which are indicators of their content and mobility. Similarities and differences between artificial vesicles, natural vesicles, and cells are highlighted throughout the manuscript since most of these artificial vesicles are intended for cell mimetic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adnan Morshed
- School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2920
| | - Buddini Iroshika Karawdeniya
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lyle School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Y.M.NuwanD.Y. Bandara
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lyle School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Min Jun Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lyle School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Prashanta Dutta
- School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2920
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21
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Hindley JW, Law RV, Ces O. Membrane functionalization in artificial cell engineering. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-020-2357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractBottom-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.
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22
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Catalytic processing in ruthenium-based polyoxometalate coacervate protocells. Nat Commun 2020; 11:41. [PMID: 31900396 PMCID: PMC6941959 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13759-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of programmable microscale materials with cell-like functions, dynamics and collective behaviour is an important milestone in systems chemistry, soft matter bioengineering and synthetic protobiology. Here, polymer/nucleotide coacervate micro-droplets are reconfigured into membrane-bounded polyoxometalate coacervate vesicles (PCVs) in the presence of a bio-inspired Ru-based polyoxometalate catalyst to produce synzyme protocells (Ru4PCVs) with catalase-like activity. We exploit the synthetic protocells for the implementation of multi-compartmentalized cell-like models capable of collective synzyme-mediated buoyancy, parallel catalytic processing in individual horseradish peroxidase-containing Ru4PCVs, and chemical signalling in distributed or encapsulated multi-catalytic protocell communities. Our results highlight a new type of catalytic micro-compartment with multi-functional activity and provide a step towards the development of protocell reaction networks. The development of microscale materials with cell-like functions and collective behaviors is an important milestone in bottom-up synthetic biology. Here the authors employ a bio-inspired inorganic synzyme to construct a micro-compartment with multi-functional activity providing a step towards the development of protocell reaction networks.
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23
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Finkler M, Kurt Ö, Grimm F, Hartz P, Ott A. A bead-based method for the removal of the amino acid lysine from cell-free transcription-translation systems. J Biotechnol 2020; 324S:100024. [PMID: 34154732 DOI: 10.1016/j.btecx.2020.100024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cell-free transcription-translation systems are a versatile tool to study gene expression, enzymatic reactions and biochemical regulation mechanisms. Because cell-free transcription-translation systems are often derived from cell lysates, many different substances, among them amino acids, are present. However, experiments concerning the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins require a system with negligible amounts of canonical analogs. Here we propose a two-step method for the removal of residual free lysine in an all Escherichia coli-based cell-free expression system. The first step consists of the expression of a high-lysine dummy protein. The second step consists of direct removal via binding between lysine and DNA. The presented method is an efficient, fast and simple way to remove residual lysine without altering the system ability to perform gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Finkler
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Ömer Kurt
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Florent Grimm
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Philip Hartz
- Universität des Saarlandes, Institut für Biochemie, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 2,Campus, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Albrecht Ott
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
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24
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Huber MC, Schreiber A, Schiller SM. Minimalist Protocell Design: A Molecular System Based Solely on Proteins that Form Dynamic Vesicular Membranes Embedding Enzymatic Functions. Chembiochem 2019; 20:2618-2632. [PMID: 31183952 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201900283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Life in its molecular context is characterized by the challenge of orchestrating structure, energy and information processes through compartmentalization and chemical transformations amenable to mimicry of protocell models. Here we present an alternative protocell model incorporating dynamic membranes based on amphiphilic elastin-like proteins (ELPs) rather than phospholipids. For the first time we demonstrate the feasibility of combining vesicular membrane formation and biocatalytic activity with molecular entities of a single class: proteins. The presented self-assembled protein-membrane-based compartments (PMBCs) accommodate either an anabolic reaction, based on free DNA ligase as an example of information transformation processes, or a catabolic process. We present a catabolic process based on a single molecular entity combining an amphiphilic protein with tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease as part of the enclosure of a reaction space and facilitating selective catalytic transformations. Combining compartmentalization and biocatalytic activity by utilizing an amphiphilic molecular building block with and without enzyme functionalization enables new strategies in bottom-up synthetic biology, regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical science and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias C Huber
- Zentrum für Biosystemanalyse (ZBSA), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Habsburgerstrasse 49, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Schreiber
- Zentrum für Biosystemanalyse (ZBSA), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Habsburgerstrasse 49, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan M Schiller
- Zentrum für Biosystemanalyse (ZBSA), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Habsburgerstrasse 49, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 18, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
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25
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Abstract
Cell-free systems (CFS) have recently evolved into key platforms for synthetic biology applications. Many synthetic biology tools have traditionally relied on cell-based systems, and while their adoption has shown great progress, the constraints inherent to the use of cellular hosts have limited their reach and scope. Cell-free systems, which can be thought of as programmable liquids, have removed many of these complexities and have brought about exciting opportunities for rational design and manipulation of biological systems. Here we review how these simple and accessible enzymatic systems are poised to accelerate the rate of advancement in synthetic biology and, more broadly, biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan Tinafar
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3M2, Canada
| | - Katariina Jaenes
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3M2, Canada
| | - Keith Pardee
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3M2, Canada.
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26
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Tian L, Li M, Patil AJ, Drinkwater BW, Mann S. Artificial morphogen-mediated differentiation in synthetic protocells. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3321. [PMID: 31346180 PMCID: PMC6658542 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11316-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The design and assembly of artificial protocell consortia displaying dynamical behaviours and systems-based properties are emerging challenges in bottom-up synthetic biology. Cellular processes such as morphogenesis and differentiation rely in part on reaction-diffusion gradients, and the ability to mimic rudimentary aspects of these non-equilibrium processes in communities of artificial cells could provide a step to life-like systems capable of complex spatiotemporal transformations. Here we expose acoustically formed arrays of initially identical coacervate micro-droplets to uni-directional or counter-directional reaction-diffusion gradients of artificial morphogens to induce morphological differentiation and spatial patterning in single populations of model protocells. Dynamic reconfiguration of the droplets in the morphogen gradients produces a diversity of membrane-bounded vesicles that are spontaneously segregated into multimodal populations with differentiated enzyme activities. Our results highlight the opportunities for constructing protocell arrays with graded structure and functionality and provide a step towards the development of artificial cell platforms capable of multiple operations. The ability to mimic aspects of cellular process that rely on reaction-diffusion gradients could provide a step to building life-like systems capable of complex behaviour. Here the authors demonstrate morphological differentiation in coacervate micro-droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangfei Tian
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Mei Li
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Avinash J Patil
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Bruce W Drinkwater
- Faculty of Engineering, Queens Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK
| | - Stephen Mann
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
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27
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Hilburger CE, Jacobs ML, Lewis KR, Peruzzi JA, Kamat NP. Controlling Secretion in Artificial Cells with a Membrane AND Gate. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1224-1230. [PMID: 31051071 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of channel proteins into vesicle membranes is a useful strategy to control activities of vesicle-based systems. Here, we developed a membrane AND gate that responds to both a fatty acid and a pore-forming channel protein to induce the release of encapsulated cargo. We explored how membrane composition affects the functional assembly of α-hemolysin into phospholipid vesicles as a function of oleic acid content and α-hemolysin concentration. We then showed that we could induce α-hemolysin assembly when we added oleic acid micelles to a specific composition of phospholipid vesicles. Finally, we demonstrated that our membrane AND gate could be coupled to a gene expression system. Our study provides a new method to control the temporal dynamics of vesicle permeability by controlling when the functional assembly of a channel protein into synthetic vesicles occurs. Furthermore, a membrane AND gate that utilizes membrane-associating biomolecules introduces a new way to implement Boolean logic that should complement genetic logic circuits and ultimately enhance the capabilities of artificial cellular systems.
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28
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Supramaniam P, Ces O, Salehi-Reyhani A. Microfluidics for Artificial Life: Techniques for Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:E299. [PMID: 31052344 PMCID: PMC6562628 DOI: 10.3390/mi10050299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary branch of science that exploits the advancement of molecular and cellular biology. Conventional modification of pre-existing cells is referred to as the top-down approach. Bottom-up synthetic biology is an emerging complementary branch that seeks to construct artificial cells from natural or synthetic components. One of the aims in bottom-up synthetic biology is to construct or mimic the complex pathways present in living cells. The recent, and rapidly growing, application of microfluidics in the field is driven by the central tenet of the bottom-up approach-the pursuit of controllably generating artificial cells with precisely defined parameters, in terms of molecular and geometrical composition. In this review we survey conventional methods of artificial cell synthesis and their limitations. We proceed to show how microfluidic approaches have been pivotal in overcoming these limitations and ushering in a new generation of complexity that may be imbued in artificial cells and the milieu of applications that result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pashiini Supramaniam
- Department of Chemistry, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Oscar Ces
- Department of Chemistry, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
- FabriCELL, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Ali Salehi-Reyhani
- FabriCELL, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Britannia House, London SE1 1DB, UK.
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29
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Shen H, Wang Y, Wang J, Li Z, Yuan Q. Emerging Biomimetic Applications of DNA Nanotechnology. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:13859-13873. [PMID: 29939004 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b06175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Re-engineering cellular components and biological processes has received great interest and promised compelling advantages in applications ranging from basic cell biology to biomedicine. With the advent of DNA nanotechnology, the programmable self-assembly ability makes DNA an appealing candidate for rational design of artificial components with different structures and functions. This Forum Article summarizes recent developments of DNA nanotechnology in mimicking the structures and functions of existing cellular components. We highlight key successes in the achievements of DNA-based biomimetic membrane proteins and discuss the assembly behavior of these artificial proteins. Then, we focus on the construction of higher-order structures by DNA nanotechnology to recreate cell-like structures. Finally, we explore the current challenges and speculate on future directions of DNA nanotechnology in biomimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijing Shen
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences , Wuhan University , Wuhan , 430072 , China
| | - Yingqian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences , Wuhan University , Wuhan , 430072 , China
| | - Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences , Wuhan University , Wuhan , 430072 , China
| | - Zhihao Li
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences , Wuhan University , Wuhan , 430072 , China
| | - Quan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences , Wuhan University , Wuhan , 430072 , China
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30
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Beppu K, Izri Z, Maeda YT, Sakamoto R. Geometric Effect for Biological Reactors and Biological Fluids. Bioengineering (Basel) 2018; 5:E110. [PMID: 30551608 PMCID: PMC6316181 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering5040110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
As expressed "God made the bulk; the surface was invented by the devil" by W. Pauli, the surface has remarkable properties because broken symmetry in surface alters the material properties. In biological systems, the smallest functional and structural unit, which has a functional bulk space enclosed by a thin interface, is a cell. Cells contain inner cytosolic soup in which genetic information stored in DNA can be expressed through transcription (TX) and translation (TL). The exploration of cell-sized confinement has been recently investigated by using micron-scale droplets and microfluidic devices. In the first part of this review article, we describe recent developments of cell-free bioreactors where bacterial TX-TL machinery and DNA are encapsulated in these cell-sized compartments. Since synthetic biology and microfluidics meet toward the bottom-up assembly of cell-free bioreactors, the interplay between cellular geometry and TX-TL advances better control of biological structure and dynamics in vitro system. Furthermore, biological systems that show self-organization in confined space are not limited to a single cell, but are also involved in the collective behavior of motile cells, named active matter. In the second part, we describe recent studies where collectively ordered patterns of active matter, from bacterial suspensions to active cytoskeleton, are self-organized. Since geometry and topology are vital concepts to understand the ordered phase of active matter, a microfluidic device with designed compartments allows one to explore geometric principles behind self-organization across the molecular scale to cellular scale. Finally, we discuss the future perspectives of a microfluidic approach to explore the further understanding of biological systems from geometric and topological aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazusa Beppu
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Ziane Izri
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Yusuke T Maeda
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Ryota Sakamoto
- Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
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31
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Abraham T, Mao M, Tan C. Engineering approaches of smart, bio-inspired vesicles for biomedical applications. Phys Biol 2018; 15:061001. [DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/aac7a2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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32
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Karamdad K, Hindley JW, Bolognesi G, Friddin MS, Law RV, Brooks NJ, Ces O, Elani Y. Engineering thermoresponsive phase separated vesicles formed via emulsion phase transfer as a content-release platform. Chem Sci 2018; 9:4851-4858. [PMID: 29910937 PMCID: PMC5982195 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc04309k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Elucidation of cholesterol insertion efficiency into phase-transfer vesicles enables the rational design of phase-separated membranes as thermally-responsive platforms for artificial cell construction.
Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are a well-established tool for the study of membrane biophysics and are increasingly used as artificial cell models and functional units in biotechnology. This trend is driven by the development of emulsion-based generation methods such as Emulsion Phase Transfer (EPT), which facilitates the encapsulation of almost any water-soluble compounds (including biomolecules) regardless of size or charge, is compatible with droplet microfluidics, and allows GUVs with asymmetric bilayers to be assembled. However, the ability to control the composition of membranes formed via EPT remains an open question; this is key as composition gives rise to an array of biophysical phenomena which can be used to add functionality to membranes. Here, we evaluate the use of GUVs constructed via this method as a platform for phase behaviour studies and take advantage of composition-dependent features to engineer thermally-responsive GUVs. For the first time, we generate ternary GUVs (DOPC/DPPC/cholesterol) using EPT, and by compensating for the lower cholesterol incorporation efficiencies, show that these possess the full range of phase behaviour displayed by electroformed GUVs. As a demonstration of the fine control afforded by this approach, we demonstrate release of dye and peptide cargo when ternary GUVs are heated through the immiscibility transition temperature, and show that release temperature can be tuned by changing vesicle composition. We show that GUVs can be individually addressed and release triggered using a laser beam. Our findings validate EPT as a suitable method for generating phase separated vesicles and provide a valuable proof-of-concept for engineering content release functionality into individually addressable vesicles, which could have a host of applications in the development of smart synthetic biosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiser Karamdad
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - James W Hindley
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Guido Bolognesi
- Department of Chemical Engineering , Loughborough University , Loughborough , LE11 3TU , UK
| | - Mark S Friddin
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ;
| | - Robert V Law
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Nicholas J Brooks
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Oscar Ces
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK.,FABRICELL , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Yuval Elani
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; .,Institute of Chemical Biology , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK.,FABRICELL , Imperial College London , Exhibition Road , London , SW7 2AZ , UK
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33
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Optimization of ClpXP activity and protein synthesis in an E. coli extract-based cell-free expression system. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3488. [PMID: 29472573 PMCID: PMC5823941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21739-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein degradation is a fundamental process in all living cells and is essential to remove both damaged proteins and intact proteins that are no longer needed by the cell. We are interested in creating synthetic genetic circuits that function in a cell-free expression system. This will require not only an efficient protein expression platform but also a robust protein degradation system in cell extract. Therefore, we purified and tested the activity of E. coli ClpXP protease in cell-free transcription-translation (TX-TL) systems that used E. coli S30 cell extract. Surprisingly, our studies showed that purified ClpXP added to the TX-TL system has very low proteolytic activity. The low activity of ClpXP was correlated with the rapid consumption of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in cell extract. We improved the activity of ClpXP in cell extract by adding exogenous ATP and an energy regeneration system. We then established conditions for both protein synthesis, and protein degradation by ClpXP to occur simultaneously in the TX-TL systems. The optimized conditions for ClpXP activity will be useful for creating tunable synthetic genetic circuits and in vitro synthetic biology.
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34
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Tang TYD, Cecchi D, Fracasso G, Accardi D, Coutable-Pennarun A, Mansy SS, Perriman AW, Anderson JLR, Mann S. Gene-Mediated Chemical Communication in Synthetic Protocell Communities. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:339-346. [PMID: 29091420 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
A gene-directed chemical communication pathway between synthetic protocell signaling transmitters (lipid vesicles) and receivers (proteinosomes) was designed, built and tested using a bottom-up modular approach comprising small molecule transcriptional control, cell-free gene expression, porin-directed efflux, substrate signaling, and enzyme cascade-mediated processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- T-Y. Dora Tang
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- BrisSynBio
Synthetic Biology Research Centre, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Dario Cecchi
- CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo, Italy
| | - Giorgio Fracasso
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Davide Accardi
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Angelique Coutable-Pennarun
- BrisSynBio
Synthetic Biology Research Centre, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Sheref S. Mansy
- CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo, Italy
| | - Adam W. Perriman
- BrisSynBio
Synthetic Biology Research Centre, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - J. L. Ross Anderson
- BrisSynBio
Synthetic Biology Research Centre, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Stephen Mann
- Centre
for Protolife Research, School of Chemistry University, of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS United, Kingdom
- BrisSynBio
Synthetic Biology Research Centre, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
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35
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Cell-free protein synthesis in micro compartments: building a minimal cell from biobricks. N Biotechnol 2017; 39:199-205. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2017.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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36
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Fan J, Villarreal F, Weyers B, Ding Y, Tseng KH, Li J, Li B, Tan C, Pan T. Multi-dimensional studies of synthetic genetic promoters enabled by microfluidic impact printing. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:2198-2207. [PMID: 28613297 PMCID: PMC5572659 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00382j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural genetic promoters are regulated by multiple cis and trans regulatory factors. For quantitative studies of these promoters, the concentration of only a single factor is typically varied to obtain the dose response or transfer function of the promoters with respect to the factor. Such design of experiments has limited our ability to understand quantitative, combinatorial interactions between multiple regulatory factors at promoters. This limitation is primarily due to the intractable number of experimental combinations that arise from multifactorial design of experiments. To overcome this major limitation, we integrate impact printing and cell-free systems to enable multi-dimensional studies of genetic promoters. We first present a gradient printing system which comprises parallel piezoelectric cantilever beams as a scalable actuator array to generate droplets with tunable volumes in the range of 100 pL-10 nL, which facilitates highly accurate direct dilutions in the range of 1-10 000-fold in a 1 μL drop. Next, we apply this technology to study interactions between three regulatory factors at a synthetic genetic promoter. Finally, a mathematical model of gene regulatory modules is established using the multi-parametric and multi-dimensional data. Our work creates a new frontier in the use of cell-free systems and droplet printing for multi-dimensional studies of synthetic genetic constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhen Fan
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis, 95616, USA.
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37
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Salehi-Reyhani A, Ces O, Elani Y. Artificial cell mimics as simplified models for the study of cell biology. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2017; 242:1309-1317. [PMID: 28580796 PMCID: PMC5528198 DOI: 10.1177/1535370217711441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Living cells are hugely complex chemical systems composed of a milieu of distinct chemical species (including DNA, proteins, lipids, and metabolites) interconnected with one another through a vast web of interactions: this complexity renders the study of cell biology in a quantitative and systematic manner a difficult task. There has been an increasing drive towards the utilization of artificial cells as cell mimics to alleviate this, a development that has been aided by recent advances in artificial cell construction. Cell mimics are simplified cell-like structures, composed from the bottom-up with precisely defined and tunable compositions. They allow specific facets of cell biology to be studied in isolation, in a simplified environment where control of variables can be achieved without interference from a living and responsive cell. This mini-review outlines the core principles of this approach and surveys recent key investigations that use cell mimics to address a wide range of biological questions. It will also place the field in the context of emerging trends, discuss the associated limitations, and outline future directions of the field. Impact statement Recent years have seen an increasing drive to construct cell mimics and use them as simplified experimental models to replicate and understand biological phenomena in a well-defined and controlled system. By summarizing the advances in this burgeoning field, and using case studies as a basis for discussion on the limitations and future directions of this approach, it is hoped that this minireview will spur others in the experimental biology community to use artificial cells as simplified models with which to probe biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oscar Ces
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Yuval Elani
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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38
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Caschera F. Bacterial cell-free expression technology to in vitro systems engineering and optimization. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2017; 2:97-104. [PMID: 29062966 PMCID: PMC5637228 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free expression system is a technology for the synthesis of proteins in vitro. The system is a platform for several bioengineering projects, e.g. cell-free metabolic engineering, evolutionary design of experiments, and synthetic minimal cell construction. Bacterial cell-free protein synthesis system (CFPS) is a robust tool for synthetic biology. The bacteria lysate, the DNA, and the energy module, which are the three optimized sub-systems for in vitro protein synthesis, compose the integrated system. Currently, an optimized E. coli cell-free expression system can produce up to ∼2.3 mg/mL of a fluorescent reporter protein. Herein, I will describe the features of ATP-regeneration systems for in vitro protein synthesis, and I will present a machine-learning experiment for optimizing the protein yield of E. coli cell-free protein synthesis systems. Moreover, I will introduce experiments on the synthesis of a minimal cell using liposomes as dynamic containers, and E. coli cell-free expression system as biochemical platform for metabolism and gene expression. CFPS can be further integrated with other technologies for novel applications in environmental, medical and material science.
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39
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Deshpande S, Birnie A, Dekker C. On-chip density-based purification of liposomes. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2017; 11:034106. [PMID: 28529672 PMCID: PMC5422205 DOI: 10.1063/1.4983174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Due to their cell membrane-mimicking properties, liposomes have served as a versatile research tool in science, from membrane biophysics and drug delivery systems to bottom-up synthetic cells. We recently reported a novel microfluidic method, Octanol-assisted Liposome Assembly (OLA), to form cell-sized, monodisperse, unilamellar liposomes with excellent encapsulation efficiency. Although OLA provides crucial advantages over alternative methods, it suffers from the presence of 1-octanol droplets, an inevitable by-product of the production process. These droplets can adversely affect the system regarding liposome stability, channel clogging, and imaging quality. In this paper, we report a density-based technique to separate the liposomes from droplets, integrated on the same chip. We show that this method can yield highly pure (>95%) liposome samples. We also present data showing that a variety of other separation techniques (based on size or relative permittivity) were unsuccessful. Our density-based separation approach favourably decouples the production and separation module, thus allowing freshly prepared liposomes to be used for downstream on-chip experimentation. This simple separation technique will make OLA a more versatile and widely applicable tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddharth Deshpande
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Anthony Birnie
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Cees Dekker
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
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40
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Bayoumi M, Bayley H, Maglia G, Sapra KT. Multi-compartment encapsulation of communicating droplets and droplet networks in hydrogel as a model for artificial cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45167. [PMID: 28367984 PMCID: PMC5377250 DOI: 10.1038/srep45167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Constructing a cell mimic is a major challenge posed by synthetic biologists. Efforts to this end have been primarily focused on lipid- and polymer-encapsulated containers, liposomes and polymersomes, respectively. Here, we introduce a multi-compartment, nested system comprising aqueous droplets stabilized in an oil/lipid mixture, all encapsulated in hydrogel. Functional capabilities (electrical and chemical communication) were imparted by protein nanopores spanning the lipid bilayer formed at the interface of the encapsulated aqueous droplets and the encasing hydrogel. Crucially, the compartmentalization enabled the formation of two adjoining lipid bilayers in a controlled manner, a requirement for the realization of a functional protocell or prototissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Bayoumi
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hagan Bayley
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni Maglia
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.,Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - K Tanuj Sapra
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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41
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Vieregg JR, Tang TYD. Polynucleotides in cellular mimics: Coacervates and lipid vesicles. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2016.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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42
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Ohta N, Kato Y, Watanabe H, Mori H, Matsuura T. In vitro membrane protein synthesis inside Sec translocon-reconstituted cell-sized liposomes. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36466. [PMID: 27808179 PMCID: PMC5093552 DOI: 10.1038/srep36466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein synthesis using an in vitro transcription-translation system (IVTT) inside cell-sized liposomes has become a valuable tool to study the properties of biological systems under cell-mimicking conditions. However, previous liposome systems lacked the machinery for membrane protein translocation. Here, we reconstituted the translocon consisting of SecYEG from Escherichia coli inside cell-sized liposomes. The cell-sized liposomes also carry the reconstituted IVTT, thereby providing a cell-mimicking environment for membrane protein synthesis. By using EmrE, a multidrug transporter from E. coli, as a model membrane protein, we found that both the amount and activity of EmrE synthesized inside the liposome is increased approximately three-fold by incorporating the Sec translocon. The topological change of EmrE induced by the translocon was also identified. The membrane integration of 6 out of 9 E. coli inner membrane proteins that was tested was increased by incorporation of the translocon. By introducing the Sec translocon, the membrane integration efficiency of the membrane protein of interest was increased, and enabled the integration of membrane proteins that otherwise cannot be inserted. In addition, this work represents an essential step toward the construction of an artificial cell through a bottom-up approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Ohta
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Kato
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hajime Watanabe
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hirotada Mori
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-tyou, Ikoma, Nara, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Matsuura
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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43
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Kahn JS, Ruiz RCH, Sureka S, Peng S, Derrien TL, An D, Luo D. DNA Microgels as a Platform for Cell-Free Protein Expression and Display. Biomacromolecules 2016; 17:2019-26. [PMID: 27112709 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Protein expression and selection is an essential process in the modification of biological products. Expressed proteins are selected based on desired traits (phenotypes) from diverse gene libraries (genotypes), whose size may be limited due to the difficulties inherent in diverse cell preparation. In addition, not all genes can be expressed in cells, and linking genotype with phenotype further presents a great challenge in protein engineering. We present a DNA gel-based platform that demonstrates the versatility of two DNA microgel formats to address fundamental challenges of protein engineering, including high protein yield, isolation of gene sets, and protein display. We utilize microgels to show successful protein production and capture of a model protein, green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is further used to demonstrate a successful gene enrichment through fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of a mixed population of microgels containing the GFP gene. Through psoralen cross-linking of the hydrogels, we have synthesized DNA microgels capable of surviving denaturing conditions while still possessing the ability to produce protein. Lastly, we demonstrate a method of producing extremely high local gene concentrations of up to 32 000 gene repeats in hydrogels 1 to 2 μm in diameter. These DNA gels can serve as a novel cell-free platform for integrated protein expression and display, which can be applied toward more powerful, scalable protein engineering and cell-free synthetic biology with no physiological boundaries and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Kahn
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Roanna C H Ruiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Swati Sureka
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Songming Peng
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Thomas L Derrien
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Duo An
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Dan Luo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Garamella J, Marshall R, Rustad M, Noireaux V. The All E. coli TX-TL Toolbox 2.0: A Platform for Cell-Free Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:344-55. [PMID: 26818434 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 271] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
We report on and provide a detailed characterization of the performance and properties of a recently developed, all Escherichia coli, cell-free transcription and translation system. Gene expression is entirely based on the endogenous translation components and transcription machinery provided by an E. coli cytoplasmic extract, thus expanding the repertoire of regulatory parts to hundreds of elements. We use a powerful metabolism for ATP regeneration to achieve more than 2 mg/mL of protein synthesis in batch mode reactions, and more than 6 mg/mL in semicontinuous mode. While the strength of cell-free expression is increased by a factor of 3 on average, the output signal of simple gene circuits and the synthesis of entire bacteriophages are increased by orders of magnitude compared to previous results. Messenger RNAs and protein degradation, respectively tuned using E. coli MazF interferase and ClpXP AAA+ proteases, are characterized over a much wider range of rates than the first version of the cell-free toolbox. This system is a highly versatile cell-free platform to construct complex biological systems through the execution of DNA programs composed of synthetic and natural bacterial regulatory parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Garamella
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 115 Union
Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Ryan Marshall
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 115 Union
Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Mark Rustad
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 115 Union
Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Vincent Noireaux
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 115 Union
Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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45
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Sugiura H, Ito M, Okuaki T, Mori Y, Kitahata H, Takinoue M. Pulse-density modulation control of chemical oscillation far from equilibrium in a droplet open-reactor system. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10212. [PMID: 26786848 PMCID: PMC4735724 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The design, construction and control of artificial self-organized systems modelled on dynamical behaviours of living systems are important issues in biologically inspired engineering. Such systems are usually based on complex reaction dynamics far from equilibrium; therefore, the control of non-equilibrium conditions is required. Here we report a droplet open-reactor system, based on droplet fusion and fission, that achieves dynamical control over chemical fluxes into/out of the reactor for chemical reactions far from equilibrium. We mathematically reveal that the control mechanism is formulated as pulse-density modulation control of the fusion–fission timing. We produce the droplet open-reactor system using microfluidic technologies and then perform external control and autonomous feedback control over autocatalytic chemical oscillation reactions far from equilibrium. We believe that this system will be valuable for the dynamical control over self-organized phenomena far from equilibrium in chemical and biomedical studies. Biological systems typically operate at conditions far from chemical equilibrium. Here, the authors model and develop a microfluidic reactor allowing control over time-variable supply and dissipation of chemicals by droplet fusion and fission, allowing non-equilibrium chemical reactions to be regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Sugiura
- Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Manami Ito
- Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Tomoya Okuaki
- Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshihito Mori
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, 2-1-1 Ohtsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kitahata
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Masahiro Takinoue
- Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.,PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
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46
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Takahashi K, Toyota T. Autonomous buckling of micrometer-sized lipid-protein membrane patches constructed by Dictyostelium discoideum. J Biol Eng 2015; 9:3. [PMID: 25972921 PMCID: PMC4429478 DOI: 10.1186/1754-1611-9-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The cytosol of amoeba cells controls the membrane deformation during their motion in vivo. To investigate such ability of the cytosol of amoeba cell, Dictyostelium discoideum (Dictyostelium), in vitro, we used lipids extracted from Dictyostelium and commercially available phospholipids, and prepared substrate-supported lipid membrane patches on the micrometer scale by spin coating. Results We found that the spin coater holder, which has pores (pore size = 3.1 mm) of negative pressure to hold the cover glass induced the concave surface of the cover glass. The membrane lipid patches were formed at each position in the vicinity of the holder pores and their sizes were in the range of 2.7 to 3.2 × 104 μm2. After addition of the cytosol extracted from Dictyostelium to the lipid membrane patches, through time-lapse observation with a confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscope, we observed an autonomous buckling of the Dictyostelium lipid patches and localized behaviours of proteins found within. Conclusion The current method serves as the novel technique for the preparation of film patches in which the positions of patches are controlled by the holder pores without fabricating, modifying, and arranging the chemical properties of the solution components of lipids. The findings imply that lipid-binding proteins in the cytosol were adsorbed and accumulated within the Dictyostelium lipid patches, inducing the transformation of the cell-sized patch. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1754-1611-9-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Takahashi
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902 Japan
| | - Taro Toyota
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902 Japan ; Research Center for Complex Systems Biology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902 Japan
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48
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Bain J, Staniland SS. Bioinspired nanoreactors for the biomineralisation of metallic-based nanoparticles for nanomedicine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:15508-21. [PMID: 25865599 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp00375j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review explores the synthesis of inorganic metallic-based nanoparticles (MBNPs) (metals, alloys, metal oxides) using biological and biologically inspired nanoreactors for precipitation/crystallisation. Such nanoparticles exhibit a range of nanoscale properties such as surface plasmon resonance (nobel metals e.g. Au), fluorescence (semiconductor quantum dots e.g. CdSe) and nanomagnetism (magnetic alloys e.g. CoPt and iron oxides e.g. magnetite), which are currently the subject of intensive research for their applicability in diagnostic and therapeutic nanomedicine. For such applications, MBNPs are required to be biocompatible, of a precise size and shape for a consistent signal or output and be easily modified with biomolecules for applications. Ideally the MBNPs would be obtained via an environmentally-friendly synthetic route. A biological or biologically inspired nanoreactor synthesis of MBNPs is shown to address these issues. Biological nanoreactors for crystallizing MBNPs within cells (magnetosomes), protein cages (ferritin) and virus capsids (cowpea chlorotic mottle, cowpea mosaic and tobacco mosaic viruses), are discussed along with how these have been modified for applications and for the next generation of new materials. Biomimetic liposome, polymersome and even designed self-assembled proteinosome nanoreactors are also reviewed for MBNP crystallisation and further modification for applications. With the advent of synthetic biology, the research and understanding in this field is growing, with the goal of realising nanoreactor synthesis of MBNPs for biomedical applications within our grasp in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Bain
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HF, UK.
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Ho KKY, Murray VL, Liu AP. Engineering artificial cells by combining HeLa-based cell-free expression and ultrathin double emulsion template. Methods Cell Biol 2015; 128:303-18. [PMID: 25997354 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2015.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Generation of artificial cells provides the bridge needed to cover the gap between studying the complexity of biological processes in whole cells and studying these same processes in an in vitro reconstituted system. Artificial cells are defined as the encapsulation of biologically active material in a biological or synthetic membrane. Here, we describe a robust and general method to produce artificial cells for the purpose of mimicking one or more behaviors of a cell. A microfluidic double emulsion system is used to encapsulate a mammalian cell-free expression system that is able to express membrane proteins into the bilayer or soluble proteins inside the vesicles. The development of a robust platform that allows the assembly of artificial cells is valuable in understanding subcellular functions and emergent behaviors in a more cell-like environment as well as for creating novel signaling pathways to achieve specific cellular behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth K Y Ho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Victoria L Murray
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Allen P Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Biophysics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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