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Dendritic Membranized Coacervate Microdroplets: A Robust Platform for Synthetic-Living Cell Consortia.
Celia Jimenez-Lopez1, Lucas Garcia-Abuin1, Eduardo Fernandez-Megia1
1Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|August 2, 2025
Summary
Synthetic biology advances with dendritic membranized coacervate microdroplets (MCM). These robust artificial cells offer enhanced stability in biological environments, enabling new applications in medicine and bioengineering.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic Biology
- Biomaterials Science
- Cellular Engineering
Background:
- Membranized coacervate microdroplets (MCM) are artificial cell models with crowded interiors and membranes.
- Cellular functions require structural stability in biological environments, challenged by ionic strength.
- Existing coacervates lack sufficient robustness for physiological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer robust synthetic cells using dendrimers for enhanced structural stability.
- To evaluate the performance of dendritic MCM in biological media.
- To explore applications in enzyme delivery and synthetic-natural cell communication.
Main Methods:
- Constructed MCM using oppositely charged small dendrimers and polypeptides.
- Incorporated a charged PEG-dendritic copolymer for peripheral stabilization.
- Assessed structural integrity via critical salt concentration measurements.
- Evaluated enzyme encapsulation, internal dynamics, and chemical communication.
Main Results:
- Dendritic MCM exhibited a critical salt concentration more than double that of conventional coacervates.
- Demonstrated enhanced structural robustness under physiological ionic strength.
- Achieved efficient enzyme encapsulation, fast internal dynamics, and chemical signaling.
- Showcased potential for synthetic-natural cell consortia and signal transduction.
Conclusions:
- Dendritic MCM offer superior stability in biological media compared to existing coacervates.
- These synthetic cells are suitable for therapeutic enzyme delivery and regenerative medicine.
- Dendritic MCM represent a promising platform for advanced bioengineering applications.
