Programmable Nanoarchitectonics for Artificial Cells via Coupled Multidimensional Regulation of Phase State and...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Synthetic Biology
• Soft Matter Physics

Background:

• Functional artificial cells are crucial for synthetic biology but face challenges with thermodynamic instability and uncontrolled coalescence of liquid condensates.
• Existing designs lack precise control over physical state, fusion dynamics, and mass transport properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a programmable artificial cell platform based on complex coacervation.
• To demonstrate tunable control over the physical state, fusion dynamics, and mass transport properties of these artificial cells.
• To investigate the relationship between internal network mobility and long-term molecular accumulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized complex coacervation of bovine serum albumin and poly(acrylic acid) to create artificial cell compartments.
• Employed coupled multidimensional regulation of polymer chain length, stoichiometric ratios, and buffer conditions to tailor compartment properties.
• Combined spatiotemporal tracking and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to analyze internal mobility and molecular accumulation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that polymer chain length, stoichiometric ratio, and buffer conditions allow precise tuning of condensate morphology, fusion kinetics, and diffusion.
• Revealed a nonparallel relationship between internal network mobility and long-term molecular accumulation.
• Showcased that densely packed coacervates act as efficient "molecular traps" with enhanced cargo retention.

Conclusions:

• Developed a versatile artificial cell platform overcoming limitations of simple liquid condensates.
• The platform offers a tunable framework for designing smart biomaterials and artificial cell-like compartments.
• This work advances the development of stable and controllable artificial cellular systems.