Two-Way Chemical Communication between Artificial and Natural Cells

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Microbial communication
• Chemical signaling

Background:

• Bacterial communication, or quorum sensing, relies on signaling molecules.
• Artificial cells capable of sensing and responding to these molecules are underdeveloped.
• Controlling bacterial communities requires novel methods for intercellular communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer artificial cells capable of sensing and synthesizing bacterial quorum signaling molecules.
• To demonstrate chemical communication between artificial cells and multiple bacterial species.
• To explore applications in mimicking natural cell behavior and controlling microbial consortia.

Main Methods:

• Artificial cell construction with sensing and synthesis capabilities.
• Co-culture experiments with *V. fischeri*, *V. harveyi*, *E. coli*, and *P. aeruginosa*.
• Activity assessment using fluorescence, luminescence, RT-qPCR, and RNA-seq.

Main Results:

• Artificial cells successfully sensed and synthesized quorum signaling molecules.
• Demonstrated chemical communication with four different bacterial species.
• Cellular Turing tests showed artificial cells mimicking *V. fischeri* behavior.
• Engineered artificial cells to degrade *P. aeruginosa* quorum signal, showing potential for network control.

Conclusions:

• Artificial cells can be engineered to participate in bacterial chemical communication.
• This technology offers a platform for mimicking and potentially controlling microbial communities.
• Further development could lead to applications in synthetic biology and microbial engineering.