Lectin-mediated protocell crosslinking to mimic cell-cell junctions and adhesion

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Cell adhesion is fundamental for multicellular organism development and tissue formation.
• Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell-cell interactions is key to reconstructing biological functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mimetic approach for engineering prototissues using lectin-glycan interactions.
• To investigate the formation of protocellular junctions and their resemblance to biological tissues.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multivalent lectins with opposing binding sites to crosslink glycan-functionalised giant unilamellar vesicles.
• Employed carbohydrate specificity of lectins to create complex interfaces with distinct domains.
• Incorporated PEG-modified lipids to modulate adhesion forces and study attraction-repulsion dynamics.

Main Results:

• Crosslinking induced the formation of elongated protocellular junctions, organizing vesicles into polygonal clusters resembling tissues.
• Demonstrated parallel engagement of different lectins with natural and synthetic glycoconjugates for complex interface generation.
• Showed dose-dependent decrease in lectin binding and junction formation upon vesicle doping with PEG-modified lipids.

Conclusions:

• Lectin-glycan interactions provide a powerful tool for engineering prototissues.
• This approach represents a significant step towards creating synthetic minimal tissues and artificial systems mimicking biological functions.