1
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Ladva DN, Selvadoss PP, Chitroda GK, Dhanasekaran S, Nellore J, Tippabathani J, Solomon SM. Maleimide conjugated PEGylated liposomal antibiotic to combat multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae with enhanced wound healing potential. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18361. [PMID: 39112534 PMCID: PMC11306640 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68647-6] [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: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a significant threat, leaving us vulnerable to bacterial infections. Novel strategies are needed to combat bacterial resistance beyond discovering new antibiotics. This research focuses on using maleimide conjugated PEGylated liposomes (Mal-PL-Ab) to individually encapsulate a variety of antibiotics (ceftriaxone, cephalexin, doxycycline, piperacillin, ampicillin, and ceftazidime) and enhance their delivery against multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). Mal-PL-Ab, with an average size of 84.2 nm ± 4.32 nm, successfully encapsulated these antibiotics with an encapsulation efficiency of 37.73 ± 3.19%. Compared to non-PEGylated liposomes (L-Ab), Mal-PL-Ab exhibited reduced toxicity in human dermal cells, emphasizing the importance of PEGylation in minimizing adverse effects. Mal-PL-Ab significantly decreased the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against both E. coli and K. pneumoniae by 9.33-fold and eightfold reduction (compared to non-PEGylated liposomes with 2.33-fold and 2.33fold reduction), respectively, indicating enhanced efficacy against MDR strains. Furthermore, in vitro scratch assay and gene expression analysis of human dermal fibroblast revealed that Mal-PL-Ab promoted cell proliferation, migration, and wound healing through upregulation of cell cycle, DNA repair, and angiogenesis-related genes. Harnessing the power of encapsulation, Mal-PL-Ab presents a novel avenue for enhanced antibiotic delivery and wound healing, potentially transcending the limitations of traditional options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darshan Narendrabhai Ladva
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India
| | - Pradeep Pushparaj Selvadoss
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India.
| | - Grishma Kantibhai Chitroda
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India
| | - Sivaraman Dhanasekaran
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India
| | - Jayshree Nellore
- Department of Biotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600119, India
| | | | - Sundar Manoharan Solomon
- Department of Chemistry, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India.
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382426, India.
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2
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Gehlbach EM, Robinson AO, Engelhart AE, Adamala KP. Sequential gentle hydration increases encapsulation in model protocells. DISCOVER LIFE 2024; 54:2. [PMID: 38765272 PMCID: PMC11099956 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-024-09645-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Small, spherical vesicles are a widely used chassis for the formation of model protocells and investigating the beginning of compartmentalized evolution. Various methods exist for their preparation, with one of the most common approaches being gentle hydration, where thin layers of lipids are hydrated with aqueous solutions and gently agitated to form vesicles. An important benefit to gentle hydration is that the method produces vesicles without introducing any organic contaminants, such as mineral oil, into the lipid bilayer. However, compared to other methods of liposome formation, gentle hydration is much less efficient at encapsulating aqueous cargo. Improving the encapsulation efficiency of gentle hydration would be of broad use for medicine, biotechnology, and protocell research. Here, we describe a method of sequentially hydrating lipid thin films to increase encapsulation efficiency. We demonstrate that sequential gentle hydration significantly improves encapsulation of water-soluble cargo compared to the traditional method, and that this improved efficiency is dependent on buffer composition. Similarly, we also demonstrate how this method can be used to increase concentrations of oleic acid, a fatty acid commonly used in origins of life research, to improve the formation of vesicles in aqueous buffer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M. Gehlbach
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Abbey O. Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Aaron E. Engelhart
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Katarzyna P. Adamala
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
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3
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Toparlak Ö, Sebastianelli L, Egas Ortuno V, Karki M, Xing Y, Szostak JW, Krishnamurthy R, Mansy SS. Cyclophospholipids Enable a Protocellular Life Cycle. ACS NANO 2023; 17:23772-23783. [PMID: 38038709 PMCID: PMC10722605 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
There is currently no plausible path for the emergence of a self-replicating protocell, because prevalent formulations of model protocells are built with fatty acid vesicles that cannot withstand the concentrations of Mg2+ needed for the function and replication of nucleic acids. Although prebiotic chelates increase the survivability of fatty acid vesicles, the resulting model protocells are incapable of growth and division. Here, we show that protocells made of mixtures of cyclophospholipids and fatty acids can grow and divide in the presence of Mg2+-citrate. Importantly, these protocells retain encapsulated nucleic acids during growth and division, can acquire nucleotides from their surroundings, and are compatible with the nonenzymatic extension of an RNA oligonucleotide, chemistry needed for the replication of a primitive genome. Our work shows that prebiotically plausible mixtures of lipids form protocells that are active under the conditions necessary for the emergence of Darwinian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ö.
Duhan Toparlak
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo, Trentino, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Sebastianelli
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, 11227 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Veronica Egas Ortuno
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Megha Karki
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Yanfeng Xing
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Jack W. Szostak
- Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Sheref S. Mansy
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo, Trentino, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, 11227 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
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4
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Gehlbach EM, Robinson AO, Engelhart AE, Adamala KP. Sequential gentle hydration increases encapsulation in model protocells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.15.562404. [PMID: 37873423 PMCID: PMC10592796 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.15.562404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Small, spherical vesicles are a widely used chassis for the formation of model protocells and investigating the beginning of compartmentalized evolution. Various methods exist for their preparation, with one of the most common approaches being gentle hydration, where thin layers of lipids are hydrated with aqueous solutions and gently agitated to form vesicles. An important benefit to gentle hydration is that the method produces vesicles without introducing any organic contaminants, such as mineral oil, into the lipid bilayer. However, compared to other methods of liposome formation, gentle hydration is much less efficient at encapsulating aqueous cargo. Improving the encapsulation efficiency of gentle hydration would be of broad use for medicine, biotechnology, and protocell research. Here, we describe a method of sequentially hydrating lipid thin films to increase encapsulation efficiency. We demonstrate that sequential gentle hydration significantly improves encapsulation of water-soluble cargo compared to the traditional method, and that this improved efficiency is dependent on buffer composition. Similarly, we also demonstrate how this method can be used to increase concentrations of oleic acid, a fatty acid commonly used in origins of life research, to improve the formation of vesicles in aqueous buffer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M. Gehlbach
- University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Abbey O. Robinson
- University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Aaron E. Engelhart
- University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Katarzyna P. Adamala
- University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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5
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Chew BC, Liew FF, Tan HW, Chung I. Chemical Advances in Therapeutic Application of Exosomes and Liposomes. Curr Med Chem 2022; 29:4445-4473. [PMID: 35189798 DOI: 10.2174/0929867329666220221094044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Exosomes and liposomes are vesicular nanoparticles that can encapsulate functional cargo. The chemical similarities between naturally occurring exosomes and synthetic liposomes have accelerated the development of exosome mimetics as a therapeutic drug delivery platform under physiological and pathological environments. To maximise the applications of exosomes and liposomes in the clinical setting, it is essential to look into their basic chemical properties and utilise these characteristics to optimise the preparation, loading, modification and hybridisation. This review summarises the chemical and biological properties of both exosomal and liposomal systems as well as some of the challenges related to their production and application. This article concludes with a discussion on potential perspectives for the integration of exosomal and liposomal technologies in mapping better approaches for their biomedical use, especially in therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boon Cheng Chew
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Fong Fong Liew
- Department of Oral Biology and Biomedical Science, Faculty of Dentistry, MAHSA University, Jalan SP2, Bandar Saujana Putra, 42610 Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hsiao Wei Tan
- Institute of Research Management and Services, Research and Innovation Management Complex, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ivy Chung
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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6
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Hotinger JA, Morris ST, May AE. The Case against Antibiotics and for Anti-Virulence Therapeutics. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2049. [PMID: 34683370 PMCID: PMC8537500 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9102049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although antibiotics have been indispensable in the advancement of modern medicine, there are downsides to their use. Growing resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics is leading to an epidemic of infections untreatable by first-line therapies. Resistance is exacerbated by antibiotics used as growth factors in livestock, over-prescribing by doctors, and poor treatment adherence by patients. This generates populations of resistant bacteria that can then spread resistance genes horizontally to other bacterial species, including commensals. Furthermore, even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they harm commensal bacteria leading to increased secondary infection risk. Effective antibiotic treatment can induce bacterial survival tactics, such as toxin release and increasing resistance gene transfer. These problems highlight the need for new approaches to treating bacterial infection. Current solutions include combination therapies, narrow-spectrum therapeutics, and antibiotic stewardship programs. These mediate the issues but do not address their root cause. One emerging solution to these problems is anti-virulence treatment: preventing bacterial pathogenesis instead of using bactericidal agents. In this review, we discuss select examples of potential anti-virulence targets and strategies that could be developed into bacterial infection treatments: the bacterial type III secretion system, quorum sensing, and liposomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aaron E. May
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA; (J.A.H.); (S.T.M.)
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7
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High Serum Levels of Toxin A Correlate with Disease Severity in Patients with Clostridioides difficile Infection. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10091093. [PMID: 34572675 PMCID: PMC8470527 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10091093] [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: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cloistridioides difficile (CD) represents a major public healthcare-associated infection causing significant morbidity and mortality. The pathogenic effects of CD are mainly caused by the release of two exotoxins into the intestine: toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). CD infection (CDI) can also cause toxemia, explaining the systemic complications of life-threatening cases. Currently, there is a lack of sensitive assays to detect exotoxins circulating in the blood. Here, we report a new semi-quantitative diagnostic method to measure CD toxins serum levels. The dot-blot assay was modified to separately detect TcdA and TcdB in human serum with a limit of detection at the pg/mL levels. TcdA and TcdB concentrations in the plasma of 35 CDI patients were measured at the time of CDI diagnosis and at the fourth and tenth day after CDI diagnosis and initiation of anti-CDI treatment. TcdA and TcdB levels were compared to those determined in nine healthy blood donors. Toxemia was detected in the plasma of 33 out of the 35 CDI cases. We also assessed the relationship between TcdA serum levels and CDI severity, reporting that at the time of CDI diagnosis the proportion of severe CDI cases with a TcdA serum level > 60 pg/µL was higher than in mild CDI cases (29.4% versus 66.6%, p = 0.04). In conclusion, data reported here demonstrate for the first time that toxemia is much more frequent than expected in CDI patients, and specifically that high serum levels of TcdA correlate with disease severity in patients with CDI.
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8
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Ning B, Huang Z, Youngquist BM, Scott JW, Niu A, Bojanowski CM, Zwezdaryk KJ, Saba NS, Fan J, Yin XM, Cao J, Lyon CJ, Li CZ, Roy CJ, Hu TY. Liposome-mediated detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive extracellular vesicles in plasma. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 16:1039-1044. [PMID: 34294909 PMCID: PMC8440422 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-021-00939-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA may represent a viable diagnostic alternative to respiratory RNA levels, which rapidly decline after infection. Quantitative PCR with reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) reference assays exhibit poor performance with plasma, probably reflecting the dilution and degradation of viral RNA released into the circulation, but these issues could be addressed by analysing viral RNA packaged into extracellular vesicles. Here we describe an assay approach in which extracellular vesicles directly captured from plasma are fused with reagent-loaded liposomes to sensitively amplify and detect a SARS-CoV-2 gene target. This approach accurately identified patients with COVID-19, including challenging cases missed by RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2-positive extracellular vesicles were detected at day 1 post-infection, and plateaued from day 6 to the day 28 endpoint in a non-human primate model, while signal durations for 20-60 days were observed in young children. This nanotechnology approach uses a non-infectious sample and extends virus detection windows, offering a tool to support COVID-19 diagnosis in patients without SARS-CoV-2 RNA detectable in the respiratory tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Ning
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Zhen Huang
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Brady M Youngquist
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - John W Scott
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Alex Niu
- Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Christine M Bojanowski
- Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Kevin J Zwezdaryk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Nakhle S Saba
- Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jia Fan
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Xiao-Ming Yin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jing Cao
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Christopher J Lyon
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Chen-Zhong Li
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Chad J Roy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA, USA
| | - Tony Y Hu
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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9
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Al-Sawaftah NM, Abusamra RH, Husseini GA. Carbohydrate-functionalized Liposomes in Cancer Therapy. CURRENT CANCER THERAPY REVIEWS 2021. [DOI: 10.2174/1573394716999200626144921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Existing cancer treatments are often accompanied by adverse side effects that can greatly
reduce the quality of life of cancer patients; this sets the platform for the development and application
of nanocarrier-based platforms for the delivery of anticancer drugs. Among these nanocarriers,
liposomes have demonstrated excellent potential in drug delivery applications. Furthermore,
the overexpression of certain receptors on cancer cells has led to the development of active targeting
approaches where liposome surfaces are decorated with ligands against these receptors. Given
the central role that sugars play in cancer biology, more and more researchers are integrating “glycoscience”
into their anticancer therapeutic designs. Carbohydrate functionalized liposomes present
an attractive drug delivery system due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity,
and specific cell targeting ability. This review presents an overview of the preparation methods,
characterization, evaluation, and applications of carbohydrate functionalized liposomes in cancer
therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nour M. Al-Sawaftah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rand H. Abusamra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ghaleb A. Husseini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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10
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Jia TZ, Caudan M, Mamajanov I. Origin of Species before Origin of Life: The Role of Speciation in Chemical Evolution. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:154. [PMID: 33671365 PMCID: PMC7922636 DOI: 10.3390/life11020154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Speciation, an evolutionary process by which new species form, is ultimately responsible for the incredible biodiversity that we observe on Earth every day. Such biodiversity is one of the critical features which contributes to the survivability of biospheres and modern life. While speciation and biodiversity have been amply studied in organismic evolution and modern life, it has not yet been applied to a great extent to understanding the evolutionary dynamics of primitive life. In particular, one unanswered question is at what point in the history of life did speciation as a phenomenon emerge in the first place. Here, we discuss the mechanisms by which speciation could have occurred before the origins of life in the context of chemical evolution. Specifically, we discuss that primitive compartments formed before the emergence of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) could have provided a mechanism by which primitive chemical systems underwent speciation. In particular, we introduce a variety of primitive compartment structures, and associated functions, that may have plausibly been present on early Earth, followed by examples of both discriminate and indiscriminate speciation affected by primitive modes of compartmentalization. Finally, we discuss modern technologies, in particular, droplet microfluidics, that can be applied to studying speciation phenomena in the laboratory over short timescales. We hope that this discussion highlights the current areas of need in further studies on primitive speciation phenomena while simultaneously proposing directions as important areas of study to the origins of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Z. Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan;
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 1001 4th Ave., Suite 3201, Seattle, WA 98154, USA
| | - Melina Caudan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan;
| | - Irena Mamajanov
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan;
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11
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O'Flaherty DK, Zhou L, Szostak JW. Nonenzymatic RNA-templated Synthesis of N3'→P5' Phosphoramidate DNA. Bio Protoc 2020; 10:e3734. [PMID: 33659395 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.3734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA world hypothesis describes a scenario where early life forms relied on RNA to govern both inheritance and catalyze useful chemical reactions. Prior to the emergence of enzymes capable of replicating the RNA genome, a nonenzymatic replication process would have been necessary to initiate Darwinian Evolution. However, the one-pot nonenzymatic RNA chemical copying of templates with mixed-sequences is insufficient to generate strand products long enough to encode useful function. The use of alternate (RNA-like) genetic polymers may overcome hurdles associated with RNA copying, and further our understanding of nonenzymatic copying chemistry. This protocol describes the nonenzymatic copying of RNA templates into N3'→P5' phosphoramidate DNA (3'-NP-DNA). We describe, in detail, the synthesis of 3'-amino-2',3'-dideoxyribonucleotide monomers activated with 2-aminoimidazole (3'-NH2-2AIpddN), and their use in template-directed polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek K O'Flaherty
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Lijun Zhou
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jack W Szostak
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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12
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Cakmak FP, Grigas AT, Keating CD. Lipid Vesicle-Coated Complex Coacervates. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:7830-7840. [PMID: 31091880 PMCID: PMC7276091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Compartmentalization by complex coacervation is important across a range of different fields including subcellular and prebiotic organization, biomedicine, food science, and personal care products. Often, lipid self-assemblies such as vesicles are also present intracellularly or in commercial formulations. A systematic understanding of how phospholipid vesicles interact with different complex coacervates could provide insight and improve control over these systems. In this manuscript, anionic phospholipid vesicles were added to a series of different complex coacervate samples in which coacervates were formed by mixing one of five polycations with one of three (poly)anions that varied in chemical structure and length. Vesicles were found to assemble at the coacervate/continuous phase interface and/or form aggregates. We report how factors such as the charge density of polyelectrolytes and the charge ratio of cationic-to-anionic moieties impact the vesicle distribution in coacervate samples. Our findings emphasize the importance of interactions between vesicles and polycations in the dilute supernatant phase for determining whether the vesicles aggregate prior to assembly at the liquid-liquid interface. The uptake of an RNA oligonucleotide (A15) was also investigated to understand the effect of these liposome coatings on diffusion into coacervate droplets. Systems in which uniform vesicle coronas assemble around coacervate droplets without restricting the entry of biomolecules such as RNAs could be of interest as bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Pir Cakmak
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | | | - Christine D. Keating
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
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13
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Wang A, Chan Miller C, Szostak JW. Core-Shell Modeling of Light Scattering by Vesicles: Effect of Size, Contents, and Lamellarity. Biophys J 2019; 116:659-669. [PMID: 30686489 PMCID: PMC6382849 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Having a fast, reliable method for characterizing vesicles is vital for their use as model cell membranes in biophysics, synthetic biology, and origins of life studies. Instead of the traditionally used Rayleigh-Gans-Debye approximation, we use an exact extended Lorenz-Mie solution for how core-shell particles scatter light to model vesicle turbidity. This approach enables accurate interpretations of simple turbidimetric measurements and is able to accurately model highly scattering vesicles, such as larger vesicles, those with multiple layers, and those with encapsulated material. We uncover several surprising features, including that vesicle lamellarity has a larger effect on sample turbidity than vesicle size and that the technique can be used to measure the membrane thickness of vesicles. We also examine potential misinterpretations of turbidimetry and discuss when measurements are limited by forward and multiple scattering and by the geometry of the instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
| | - Christopher Chan Miller
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Division, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jack W Szostak
- Department of Molecular Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
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