Mimicking Chemotactic Cell Migration with DNA Programmable Synthetic Vesicles

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Biophysics
• Chemical engineering

Background:

• Chemotactic cell motility is crucial for biological processes like immune response and embryogenesis.
• Synthetic protocells require stimuli-responsive motility mechanisms for programmed behaviors.
• Surface-based chemotactic motility in synthetic protocells has not been previously demonstrated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer synthetic lipid vesicles with programmed chemotactic motility on surfaces.
• To demonstrate directed migration of synthetic vesicles mimicking natural cell behaviors.
• To explore the potential of DNA components in creating responsive synthetic protocells.

Main Methods:

• Programming synthetic lipid vesicles using dynamic DNA components.
• Observing and analyzing the directed migration of 'follow' vesicles along 'lead' vesicle trajectories.
• Quantifying enhanced migration speeds in response to the 'lead' vesicle's movement.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated directional surface motility in synthetic lipid vesicles.
• Showcased 'follow' vesicles recognizing and migrating along the path of 'lead' vesicles.
• Observed enhanced migration speeds, successfully mimicking natural chemotaxis.
• Established a novel platform for synthetic protocell motility using DNA programming.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first report of surface chemotactic motility in synthetic protocells.
• The developed system mimics natural cell migration, offering a platform for programmed morphogenesis and cooperative motion.
• The use of dynamic DNA components provides a versatile tool for advancing synthetic biology and biotechnology applications.