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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 28, 2018
Shapes and self-movement in protocell systems
Keisuke Suzuki1, Takashi Ikegami
1Department of General Systems Sciences, The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. ksk@sacral.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Abstract:
The effect of shapes on self-movement has been studied with an extended model of autopoiesis. Autopoiesis is known as a theory of self-boundary maintenance. In this study, not only the autopoietic generation of the self-boundary, but also the emergence of self-motility, has been examined. As a result of computer simulations, it has been found that different membrane shapes cause different types of self-movement A kind of chemotaxis has been observed for some shapes. The mechanism of chemotaxis is discussed by studying the internal chemical processes within the shape boundaries.
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