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Multicompartmental coacervate-based protocell by spontaneous droplet evaporation
Cheng Qi1, Xudong Ma1, Qi Zeng1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Optomechatronics Engineering, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Nature Communications
|February 6, 2024
Summary
Researchers report the spontaneous formation of core-shell coacervate compartments. These cell-sized structures form via droplet evaporation, offering insights into early cell organization.
Area of Science:
- Origin of Life Studies
- Biophysics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Hierarchical compartmentalization is crucial for cellular function, enabling molecule concentration and reaction organization.
- Coacervate compartments are promising models for protocells due to their ability to sequester diverse biomolecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spontaneous formation of cell-sized coacervate compartments under non-equilibrium conditions.
- To elucidate the mechanisms driving the formation and stabilization of these hierarchical structures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized spontaneous evaporation of sessile droplets on a thin-oil-coated substrate.
- Analyzed the role of coupled liquid-liquid phase separation and convective capillary flows.
- Identified stagnation points as key stabilization mechanisms within the evaporating droplet.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the spontaneous formation of core-shell cell-sized coacervate compartments.
- Revealed that these far-from-equilibrium architectures result from coupled segregative and associative phase separation.
- Showed stabilization by stagnation points formed by convective capillary flows at the contact line.
Conclusions:
- Provides insights into the spontaneous generation and maintenance of hierarchical compartments in non-equilibrium settings.
- Offers a potential glimpse into the formation mechanisms of early cellular structures.
- Highlights the importance of evaporation-driven processes in creating complex biological architectures.
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