Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:37

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

16.8K
One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal...
16.8K
Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations

169.6K
One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
169.6K
Golgi Apparatus01:49

Golgi Apparatus

98.2K
As they leave the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), properly folded and assembled proteins are selectively packaged into vesicles. These vesicles are transported by microtubule-based motor proteins and fuse together to form vesicular tubular clusters, subsequently arriving at the Golgi apparatus, a eukaryotic endomembrane organelle that often has a distinctive ribbon-like appearance.
98.2K
Golgi Apparatus01:09

Golgi Apparatus

19.6K
Properly folded and assembled proteins are selectively packaged into vesicles that exit the ER. Motor proteins transport these vesicles to the Golgi apparatus for adding modifications that make these proteins functional at their destination.
The Golgi apparatus is a eukaryotic organelle that has a distinctive ribbon-like appearance. It is a primary sorting and dispatch station for cargo arriving from the ER. Newly arriving vesicles enter the cis face of the Golgi, closest to the ER, and are...
19.6K
Synthetic Biology02:55

Synthetic Biology

5.2K
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary science that involves using principles from disciplines such as engineering, molecular biology, cell biology, and systems biology. It involves remodeling existing organisms from nature or constructing completely new synthetic organisms for applications such as protein or enzyme production, bioremediation, value-added macromolecule production, and the addition of desirable traits to crops, to name a few.
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
5.2K
The Endoplasmic Reticulum01:43

The Endoplasmic Reticulum

19.1K
The endoplasmic reticulum or ER makes up for more than half of the membranes in a cell and accounts for 10% of total cell volume. It is also the primary protein and lipid synthesis factory for most cell organelles, such as the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, secretory vesicles, and the plasma membrane. Despite being the most extensive and functionally complex subcellular organelle, ER was the last to be discovered. After years of deliberation, Keith Porter and George Palade in the year 1954,...
19.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A high-endurance DNA origami snap-through switch for functional nanoscale control.

Science robotics·2026
Same author

A nanoscale Jitterbug transformer from DNA.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Vesicle-Templated Self-Assembly of Programmable Freestanding Multi-μm DNA Shells.

Nano letters·2026
Same author

Operating CRISPR/Cas12a in a complex nucleic acid sequence background.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

Quantifying phage-host dynamics using droplet microfluidics.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Self-assembled cell-scale containers made from DNA origami membranes.

Nature materials·2025
Same journal

Shaping the future of bioscience education: trends, challenges and community insights.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
Same journal

Perceived impact of field trips on students' sense of community, skills and knowledge in Biosciences and Chemistry undergraduate degrees.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
Same journal

Clinical assessment meets laboratory science: adapting OSCE methodology for authentic biosciences evaluation in the age of generative AI.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
Same journal

A holistic approach to addressing the degree awarding gap: a perspective.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
Same journal

Integrating Smart Worksheets into mandatory pre-laboratory exercises increased exercise completion rates and laboratory test grades.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
Same journal

Marking the markers: evaluating the potential of professional development through collaborative marking circles.

Emerging topics in life sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Visualizing Yeast Organelles with Fluorescent Protein Markers
07:08

Visualizing Yeast Organelles with Fluorescent Protein Markers

Published on: April 20, 2022

3.2K

Synthetic organelles.

Friedrich C Simmel1

  • 1Physics Department, TU Munich, Garching, Germany.

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences
|February 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synthetic biology advances complex systems using artificial organelles for subcompartmentalization. These structures mimic eukaryotic cells, enabling dedicated chemical environments and organized reactions.

Keywords:
cell-free gene expressioncompartmentalizationsynthetic cells

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures
08:02

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures

Published on: May 31, 2024

1.1K
Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering
10:56

Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering

Published on: April 12, 2024

1.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Visualizing Yeast Organelles with Fluorescent Protein Markers
07:08

Visualizing Yeast Organelles with Fluorescent Protein Markers

Published on: April 20, 2022

3.2K
Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures
08:02

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures

Published on: May 31, 2024

1.1K
Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering
10:56

Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering

Published on: April 12, 2024

1.5K

Area of Science:

  • Synthetic Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Cellular Engineering

Background:

  • Eukaryotic cells utilize organelles for compartmentalization, creating specialized environments for distinct biochemical processes.
  • Artificial organelles are being developed to mimic this natural architecture in synthetic systems.
  • Compartmentalization is key for controlling complex reaction networks and gradients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in artificial organelle development for synthetic biology.
  • To highlight diverse strategies for creating subcompartments within synthetic cells.
  • To discuss the applications of artificial organelles in controlling biochemical reactions.

Main Methods:

  • Overview of various compartmentalization strategies, including lipid and polymer membranes.
  • Exploration of membraneless compartmentalization techniques like coacervation.
  • Analysis of how these methods enable spatial organization and process separation.

Main Results:

  • Artificial organelles successfully compartmentalize enzyme reactions and gene expression.
  • These structures facilitate the generation of chemical fuels through processes like photosynthesis.
  • Diverse strategies offer tunable environments for synthetic biological applications.

Conclusions:

  • Artificial organelles are crucial for building complex, bottom-up synthetic biological systems.
  • Subcompartmentalization via artificial organelles enhances control over biochemical processes.
  • Emerging techniques like coacervation offer novel avenues for membraneless compartmentalization.