DNA-Origami Line-Actants Control Domain Organization and Fission in Synthetic Membranes.

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Biophysics
• Materials science

Background:

• Cell membranes use protein machinery to control shape and organization.
• Replicating this control in synthetic systems is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce DNA-origami line-actants (DOLAs) as synthetic analogues of membrane-sculpting proteins.
• Demonstrate DOLAs' ability to program membrane lateral organization and 3D morphology.

Main Methods:

• Designed DOLAs to selectively bind at the interface of phase-separated lipid membranes.
• Utilized experiments and coarse-grained simulations.
• Investigated DOLAs' effect on Pickering emulsion analogues and vesicle morphology.

Main Results:

• DOLAs reversibly stabilize 2D Pickering emulsion analogues on synthetic giant liposomes.
• Achieved dynamic programming of membrane lateral organization.
• Demonstrated control over 3D membrane morphology, including vesicle fission.

Conclusions:

• DOLAs provide a novel tool for controlling synthetic membrane organization.
• Establishes a foundation for mimicking cellular membrane functions like signaling and division in synthetic systems.