Enzymatically reconfigurable liquid crystalline coacervate microdroplets as protocell models.

Area of Science:

• Biomimetic chemistry
• Supramolecular chemistry
• Protocell research

Background:

• Living cells exhibit dynamic adaptive behaviors in response to environmental stimuli.
• Artificial cellular models are crucial for understanding fundamental life processes and developing new technologies.
• Liquid crystalline (LC) coacervates offer unique properties for constructing complex microstructures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel protocell model using enzymatically active liquid crystalline (LC) coacervate microdroplets.
• To investigate the differentiation and structural reconfiguration mechanisms of these protocells.
• To demonstrate the potential for creating functional artificial organelles within protocells.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of LC coacervate microdroplets via electrostatic complexation of charged polysaccharide and cationic surfactant.
• Enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharide by amylase to induce structural changes.
• Integration of affinitive biomolecules to create yolk-shell structures.

Main Results:

• LC coacervate microdroplets successfully differentiated into helicoidal vesicles and membranous protocells.
• Amylase-mediated hydrolysis was identified as the key mechanism driving the two-step structural transformation.
• Reconfigurable yolk-shell coacervate vesicles capable of supporting biochemical reactions were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• Enzymatically active LC coacervate microdroplets serve as a viable protocell model mimicking cellular differentiation.
• The study elucidates the role of electrostatic interactions and enzymatic activity in protocell structural dynamics.
• This work provides insights into building complex protocell architectures for synthetic biology applications.