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Naz M, Zhang L, Chen C, Yang S, Dou H, Mann S, Li J. Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid-liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions. Commun Chem 2024; 7:79. [PMID: 38594355 PMCID: PMC11004187 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Dynamic microscale droplets produced by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) have emerged as appealing biomaterials due to their remarkable features. However, the instability of droplets limits the construction of population-level structures with collective behaviors. Here we first provide a brief background of droplets in the context of materials properties. Subsequently, we discuss current strategies for stabilizing droplets including physical separation and chemical modulation. We also discuss the recent development of LLPS droplets for various applications such as synthetic cells and biomedical materials. Finally, we give insights on how stabilized droplets can self-assemble into higher-order structures displaying coordinated functions to fully exploit their potentials in bottom-up synthetic biology and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehwish Naz
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study (ZIAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 429 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study (ZIAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 429 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Chong Chen
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6, Turku, 20520, Finland
| | - Shuo Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study (ZIAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 429 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Hongjing Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study (ZIAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 429 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Stephen Mann
- State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study (ZIAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 429 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
- 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, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Jianwei Li
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6, Turku, 20520, Finland.
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2
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Joron K, Viegas JO, Haas-Neill L, Bier S, Drori P, Dvir S, Lim PSL, Rauscher S, Meshorer E, Lerner E. Fluorescent protein lifetimes report densities and phases of nuclear condensates during embryonic stem-cell differentiation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4885. [PMID: 37573411 PMCID: PMC10423231 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40647-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent proteins (FP) are frequently used for studying proteins inside cells. In advanced fluorescence microscopy, FPs can report on additional intracellular variables. One variable is the local density near FPs, which can be useful in studying densities within cellular bio-condensates. Here, we show that a reduction in fluorescence lifetimes of common monomeric FPs reports increased levels of local densities. We demonstrate the use of this fluorescence-based variable to report the distribution of local densities within heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), before and after early differentiation. We find that local densities within HP1α condensates in pluripotent ESCs are heterogeneous and cannot be explained by a single liquid phase. Early differentiation, however, induces a change towards a more homogeneous distribution of local densities, which can be explained as a liquid-like phase. In conclusion, we provide a fluorescence-based method to report increased local densities and apply it to distinguish between homogeneous and heterogeneous local densities within bio-condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalil Joron
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Juliane Oliveira Viegas
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Liam Haas-Neill
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A7, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Sariel Bier
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Paz Drori
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Shani Dvir
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Patrick Siang Lin Lim
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Sarah Rauscher
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A7, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Eran Meshorer
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
- Edmond and Lily Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
| | - Eitan Lerner
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel.
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel.
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3
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Pal T, Sahu K. Exploring cationic polyelectrolyte-micelle interaction via excited-state proton transfer. Signatures of probe transfer. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:2963-2977. [PMID: 36606483 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03883h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) is a sensitive tool for the delicate monitoring of structural reorganization, hydration level, and confinement within surfactant and polymer assemblies. Here, we investigate the interaction of a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyl dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), with micelles of differently charged surfactants using 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (HPTS) as an ESPT probe. We used three surfactants: anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and zwitterionic N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (SB12), possessing the same alkyl (dodecyl) chain but varying headgroup charges. The fluorescence of HPTS residing initially within the micellar medium modulates differently in the presence of PDADMAC. For the anionic SDS and cationic DTAB micelles, the emission spectrum of HPTS does not alter significantly; however, for SB12 micelles, the emission spectrum undergoes a strong modulation upon adding the polyelectrolyte. The emission intensities quench strongly at a low concentration of PDADMAC but recover at a higher concentration. The emission intensity ratio of the two emission bands also changes significantly, implying strong modulation of the ESPT process with varying PDADMAC concentrations. The time-resolved area normalized emission spectra (TRANES) disclose single isoemissive points in the SB12 micelle at low and high concentrations of PDADMAC but two different isoemissive points (one characteristic of the SB12 micelle at 500 nm and another characteristic of the PDADMAC interface at 480 nm) in the mixed assembly at an intermediate concentration. Detailed analysis suggests that the polyelectrolyte can enforce the transfer of the anionic probe HPTS from the zwitterionic micelle to the PDADMAC assembly above a specific PDADMAC concentration. The transfer of the molecular probe between two assemblies resembles a drug sequestration event, and the study reveals necessary emission signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapas Pal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India.
| | - Kalyanasis Sahu
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India.
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Karpińska A, Zgorzelska A, Kwapiszewska K, Hołyst R. Entanglement of polymer chains in hypertonic medium enhances the delivery of DNA and other biomacromolecules into cells. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 627:270-282. [PMID: 35849860 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.07.040] [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: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Most experimental procedures applied in modern biology involve cargo delivering into cells. One of the ways to cargo introduction is osmotic-mediated intracellular vesicle swelling. However, its widespread use was hindered due to cargo size (<10 nm) and cell-type-related restrictions. We addressed the issue of the composition of colloidal loading solution to enhance the efficiency of cellular delivery. EXPERIMENTS We examined the effectiveness of colloidal loading solutions of varied compositions, including various types and sizes of polymers building osmotic pressure. We used confocal imaging coupled with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to evaluate the introduction of polymers, proteins, nanoparticles, and DNA plasmids (cargos of sizes 1-175 nm) to cells representing eight cell lines: cancer, normal, epithelial, and mesenchymal ones. FINDINGS We found that cellular delivery effectiveness strongly correlates with the size and concentration of osmotic pressure building polymers and not with the high value of the osmotic pressure itself. We show that polymer solutions at the entangled regime of concentrations enhance the delivery of large biomacromolecules even of size 200 nm (DNA plasmids) into cells, including MDA-MB-231 cells - so far resistant to the osmotic procedure. We show that the colloid loading medium based on entangled polymer chains is a versatile cargo delivery tool for molecular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Karpińska
- Department of Soft Condensed Matter, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Alicja Zgorzelska
- Department of Soft Condensed Matter, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Karina Kwapiszewska
- Department of Soft Condensed Matter, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Robert Hołyst
- Department of Soft Condensed Matter, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
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Masukawa M, Sato Y, Yu F, Tsumoto K, Yoshikawa K, Takinoue M. Water-in-water droplets selectively uptake self-assembled DNA nano/microstructures: a versatile method for purification in DNA nanotechnology. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200240. [PMID: 35686962 PMCID: PMC9544409 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
DNA is an excellent material for constructing self-assembled nano/microstructures. Owing to the widespread use of DNA as a building block in laboratories and industry, it is desirable to increase the efficiency of all steps involved in producing self-assembled DNA structures. One of the bottlenecks is the purification required to separate the excess components from the target structures. This paper describes a purification method based on the fractionation by water-in-water (W/W) droplets composed of phase-separated dextran-rich droplets in a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-rich continuous phase. The dextran-rich droplets facilitate the selective uptake of self-assembled DNA nano/microstructures and allow the separation of the target structure. This study investigates the ability to purify DNA origami, DNA hydrogels, and DNA microtubes. The W/W-droplet fractionation allows the purification of structures of a broad size spectrum without changes to the protocol. By quantifying the activity of deoxyribozyme-modified DNA origami after W/W-droplet purification, this study demonstrates that this method sufficiently preserves the accessibility to the surface of a functional DNA nanostructure. It is considered that the W/W-droplet fractionation could become one of the standard methods for the purification of self-assembled DNA nano/microstructures for biomedical and nanotechnology applications owing to its low cost and simplicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Masukawa
- Tokyo Institute of Technology: Tokyo Kogyo Daigaku, Computer Science, JAPAN
| | - Yusuke Sato
- Kyushu Institute of Technology - Iizuka Campus: Kyushu Kogyo Daigaku - Iizuka Campus, Intelligent and Control Systems, JAPAN
| | - Fujio Yu
- Tokyo Institute of Technology: Tokyo Kogyo Daigaku, Computer Science, JAPAN
| | - Kanta Tsumoto
- Mie University: Mie Daigaku, Chemistry for Materials, JAPAN
| | - Kenichi Yoshikawa
- Kyoto University: Kyoto Daigaku, Center for Integrative Medicine and Physics, Institute for Advanced Study, JAPAN
| | - Masahiro Takinoue
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Computer Science, 4259-J2-36 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, 226-8502, Yokohama, JAPAN
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6
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Higher-order structure of DNA determines its positioning in cell-size droplets under crowded conditions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261736. [PMID: 34937071 PMCID: PMC8694483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is becoming clearer that living cells use water/water (w/w) phase separation to form membraneless organelles that exhibit various important biological functions. Currently, it is believed that the specific localization of biomacromolecules, including DNA, RNA and proteins in w/w microdroplets is closely related to their bio-activity. Despite the importance of this possible role of micro segregation, our understanding of the underlying physico-chemical mechanism is still unrefined. Further research to unveil the underlying mechanism of the localization of macromolecules in relation to their steric conformation in w/w microdroplets is needed. Principal findings Single-DNA observation of genome-size DNA (T4 GT7 bacteriophage DNA; 166kbp) by fluorescence microscopy revealed that DNAs are spontaneously incorporated into w/w microdroplets generated in a binary aqueous polymer solution with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (DEX). Interestingly, DNAs with elongated coil and shrunken conformations exhibit Brownian fluctuation inside the droplet. On the other hand, tightly packed compact globules, as well as assemblies of multiple condensed DNAs, tend to be located near the interface in the droplet. Conclusion and significance The specific localization of DNA molecules depending on their higher-order structure occurs in w/w microdroplet phase-separation solution under a binary aqueous polymer solution. Such an aqueous solution with polymers mimics the crowded conditions in living cells, where aqueous macromolecules exist at a level of 30–40 weight %. The specific positioning of DNA depending on its higher-order structure in w/w microdroplets is expected to provide novel insights into the mechanism and function of membraneless organelles and micro-segregated particles in living cells.
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7
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Emergence of uniform linearly-arranged micro-droplets entrapping DNA and living cells through water/water phase-separation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23570. [PMID: 34876629 PMCID: PMC8651656 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02990-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Living cells maintain their lives through self-organization in an environment crowded with a rich variety of biological species. Recently, it was found that micro-droplets containing biomacromolecules, which vary widely in size, are generated accompanied by water/water phase-separation by simple mechanical mixing of an aqueous solution with binary polymers. Here, we report that cell-sized droplets of nearly the same size are generated as a linear array within a glass capillary upon the introduction of a binary polymer solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (DEX). Interestingly, when DNA molecules are added to the polymer solution, stable droplets entrapping DNA molecules are obtained. Similarly, living cells are entrapped spontaneously for the linearly-arranged cell-sized droplets. This simple method for generating micro-droplets entrapping DNA and also living cells is expected to stimulate further study on the self-construction of protocells and micro organoids.
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8
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Wen P, Wang X, Chen H, Appelhans D, Liu X, Wang L, Huang X. A
pH Self‐Monitoring
Heterogeneous Multicompartmental Proteinosome with Spatiotemporal Regulation of Insulin Transportation. CHINESE J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/cjoc.202100519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wen
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin Heilongjiang 150001 China
| | - Xueyi Wang
- Dongguan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University Dongguan Guangdong 523059 China
| | - Haixu Chen
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin Heilongjiang 150001 China
| | - Dietmar Appelhans
- Leibniz‐Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6 Dresden 01069 Germany
| | - Xiaoman Liu
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin Heilongjiang 150001 China
| | - Lei Wang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin Heilongjiang 150001 China
| | - Xin Huang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin Heilongjiang 150001 China
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Hydrogen Bond Arrangement Is Shown to Differ in Coexisting Phases of Aqueous Two-Phase Systems. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121787. [PMID: 34944431 PMCID: PMC8698934 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows that each coexisting phase in aqueous two-phase systems has a different arrangement of hydrogen bonds. Specific arrangements vary for systems formed by different solutes. The hydrogen bond arrangement is shown to correlate with differences in hydrophobic and electrostatic properties of the different phases of five specific systems, four formed by two polymers and one by a single polymer and salt. The results presented here suggest that the arrangement of hydrogen bonds may be an important factor in phase separation.
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10
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Xu Z, Wang S, Zhao C, Li S, Liu X, Wang L, Li M, Huang X, Mann S. Photosynthetic hydrogen production by droplet-based microbial micro-reactors under aerobic conditions. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5985. [PMID: 33239636 PMCID: PMC7689460 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19823-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The spontaneous self-assembly of multicellular ensembles into living materials with synergistic structure and function remains a considerable challenge in biotechnology and synthetic biology. Here, we exploit the aqueous two-phase separation of dextran-in-PEG emulsion micro-droplets for the capture, spatial organization and immobilization of algal cells or algal/bacterial cell communities to produce discrete multicellular spheroids capable of both aerobic (oxygen producing) and hypoxic (hydrogen producing) photosynthesis in daylight under air. We show that localized oxygen depletion results in hydrogen production from the core of the algal microscale reactor, and demonstrate that enhanced levels of hydrogen evolution can be achieved synergistically by spontaneously enclosing the photosynthetic cells within a shell of bacterial cells undergoing aerobic respiration. Our results highlight a promising droplet-based environmentally benign approach to dispersible photosynthetic microbial micro-reactors comprising segregated cellular micro-niches with dual functionality, and provide a step towards photobiological hydrogen production under aerobic conditions. The development of techniques capable of orchestrating the assembly of living cells into multicellular ensembles with synergistic and function is challenge. Here, the authors construct algal or algal/bacterial cells-based core shell-like structure based on aqueous two-phase system for synergic photosynthetic H2 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Xu
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Shengliang Wang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Chunyu Zhao
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Shangsong Li
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Xiaoman Liu
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Lei Wang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Mei Li
- Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Xin Huang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Stephen Mann
- Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
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11
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Wang A, Madden LA, Paunov VN. Advanced biomedical applications based on emerging 3D cell culturing platforms. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:10487-10501. [PMID: 33136103 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01658f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
It is of great value to develop reliable in vitro models for cell biology and toxicology. However, ethical issues and the decreasing number of donors restrict the further use of traditional animal models in various fields, including the emerging fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The huge gap created by the restrictions in animal models has pushed the development of the increasingly recognized three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, which enables cells to closely simulate authentic cellular behaviour such as close cell-to-cell interactions and can achieve higher functionality. Furthermore, 3D cell culturing is superior to the traditional 2D cell culture, which has obvious limitations and cannot closely mimic the structure and architecture of tissues. In this study, we review several methods used to form 3D multicellular spheroids. The extracellular microenvironment of 3D spheroids plays a role in many aspects of biological sciences, including cell signalling, cell growth, cancer cell generation, and anti-cancer drugs. More recently, they have been explored as basic construction units for tissue and organ engineering. We review this field with a focus on the previous research in different areas using spheroid models, emphasizing aqueous two-phase system (ATPS)-based techniques. Multi-cellular spheroids have great potential in the study of biological systems and can closely mimic the in vivo environment. New technologies to form and analyse spheroids such as the aqueous two-phase system and magnetic levitation are rapidly overcoming the technical limitations of spheroids and expanding their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anheng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
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12
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Tsumoto K, Sakuta H, Takiguchi K, Yoshikawa K. Nonspecific characteristics of macromolecules create specific effects in living cells. Biophys Rev 2020; 12:425-434. [PMID: 32144739 PMCID: PMC7242541 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-020-00673-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, the important role of microphase separation in living cells has been attracting considerable interest in relation to cell organization and function. For example, many studies have focused on liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) as a very plausible mechanism for the presence of membraneless organelles. To confirm the role of phase separation in living cells, experimental studies on models and/or reconstructed systems are needed. In this short review, we discuss current paradigms of LLPS and provide some example "review data" to demonstrate particular points relating to the specific localization of biological macromolecules like DNAs and actin proteins with spontaneous domain formation in microdroplets emerging in an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) (we use polyethylene glycol (PEG)/dextran (DEX)-a binary polymer solution). We also suggest that phase separation and transition may play basic roles in regulation of the biochemical reactivity of individual long genomic DNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanta Tsumoto
- Division of Chemistry for Materials, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, 514-8507, Japan.
| | - Hiroki Sakuta
- Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, 610-0394, Japan
| | - Kingo Takiguchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Kenichi Yoshikawa
- Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, 610-0394, Japan
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13
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Titus AR, Ferreira LA, Belgovskiy AI, Kooijman EE, Mann EK, Mann JA, Meyer WV, Smart AE, Uversky VN, Zaslavsky BY. Interfacial tension and mechanism of liquid-liquid phase separation in aqueous media. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:4574-4580. [PMID: 32048659 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05810a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The organization of multiple subcellular compartments is controlled by liquid-liquid phase separation. Phase separation of this type occurs with the emergence of interfacial tension. Aqueous two-phase systems formed by two non-ionic polymers can be used to separate and analyze biological macromolecules, cells and viruses. Phase separation in these systems may serve as the simple model of phase separation in cells also occurring in aqueous media. To better understand liquid-liquid phase separation mechanisms, interfacial tension was measured in aqueous two-phase systems formed by dextran and polyethylene glycol and by polyethylene glycol and sodium sulfate in the presence of different additives. Interfacial tension values depend on differences between the solvent properties of the coexisting phases, estimated experimentally by parameters representing dipole-dipole, ion-dipole, ion-ion, and hydrogen bonding interactions. Based on both current and literature data, we propose a mechanism for phase separation in aqueous two-phase systems. This mechanism is based on the fundamental role of intermolecular forces. Although it remains to be confirmed, it is possible that these may underlie all liquid-liquid phase separation processes in biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R Titus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, OH, Kent, USA
| | | | | | - Edgar E Kooijman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, OH, Kent, USA
| | | | - J Adin Mann
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA and Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center "Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Pushchino, Moscow region, Russia
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Chao Y, Shum HC. Emerging aqueous two-phase systems: from fundamentals of interfaces to biomedical applications. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:114-142. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00466a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes recent advances of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), particularly their interfaces, with a focus on biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youchuang Chao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- The University of Hong Kong
- China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- The University of Hong Kong
- China
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