Polymerization-Induced Proteinosome Formation Initiated by Artificial Cells

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cellular communication is vital for coordinating cellular functions and collective behaviors.
• Artificial cell communication is a growing area with significant potential in bioscience and biotechnology.
• Mimicking natural cellular communication requires sophisticated synthetic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for synthesizing communicating artificial cells (proteinosomes).
• To investigate the self-assembly and communication capabilities of multienzyme proteinosomes.
• To fabricate 'daughter' proteinosomes using a cascade reaction initiated by the 'parent' proteinosomes.

Main Methods:

• Thermally triggered self-assembly was used to create multienzyme proteinosomes decorated with glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP).
• A cascade reaction on the proteinosome surface initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of NIPAM.
• Daughter proteinosomes were fabricated using bovine serum albumin (BSA) or alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)/acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).
• Advanced characterization techniques including electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering were employed.

Main Results:

• Multienzyme proteinosomes with GOx and HRP on their membranes were successfully synthesized.
• The cascade reaction on proteinosome surfaces initiated RAFT polymerization, leading to the formation of daughter proteinosomes.
• Characterization confirmed the structures of both initiator and daughter proteinosomes.
• Enzyme activity assays verified the high bioactivity of enzymes on the proteinosome surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Artificial cells can be engineered to communicate and replicate through surface-initiated polymerization.
• This study demonstrates a novel approach for fabricating communicating proteinosomes with potential applications in synthetic biology.
• The synthesized proteinosomes maintain high enzyme activity, indicating their functional integrity.