Growth, replication and division enable evolution of coacervate protocells

Chemical Communications, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 58(80), P. 11183 - 11200

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

In this Feature Article, we analyze how a minimal cell cycle of growth, replication genetic information and division could be realized in coacervate protocells. This would allow such primitive cells to undergo evolution at the origins life.

Language: Английский

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Experimentally modeling the emergence of prebiotically plausible phospholipid vesicles

Chem, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 10(6), P. 1839 - 1867

Published: Feb. 29, 2024

Language: Английский

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Synthesising a minimal cell with artificial metabolic pathways

Communications Chemistry, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 6(1)

Published: March 28, 2023

A "synthetic minimal cell" is considered here as a cell-like artificial vesicle reproduction system in which chemical and physico-chemical transformation network regulated by information polymers. Here we synthesise such cell consisting of three units: energy production, polymer synthesis, reproduction. Supplied ingredients are converted to currencies trigger the synthesis an polymer, where membrane plays role template. The promotes growth. By tuning composition permeability osmolytes, growing vesicles show recursive over several generations. Our greatly simplifies scheme contemporary living cells while keeping their essence. pathways well described kinetic equations applying elasticity model, respectively. This study provides new insights better understand differences similarities between non-living forms matter life.

Language: Английский

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Intravesicular Solute Delivery and Surface Area Regulation in Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Driven by Cycles of Osmotic Stresses

Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 146(5), P. 3250 - 3261

Published: Jan. 24, 2024

Phospholipid bilayers are dynamic cellular components that undergo constant changes in their topology, facilitating a broad diversity of physiological functions including endo- and exocytosis, cell division, intracellular trafficking. These shape transformations consume energy, supplied invariably by the activity proteins. Here, we show cycles oppositely directed osmotic stresses─unassisted any protein activity─can induce well-defined remodeling giant unilamellar vesicles, minimally recapitulating phenomenologies surface area homeostasis macropinocytosis. We find stress cycle consisting deflationary hypertonic followed an inflationary hypotonic one prompts elaborate sequence membrane ultimately transporting molecular cargo from outside into intravesicular milieu. The initial deflation produces microscopic spherical invaginations. During subsequent inflation, first subpopulation contributes to swelling membrane, thereby providing means for regulation tensional homeostasis. second vesiculates lumens mother producing pinocytic vesicles. Remarkably, gradients solute concentrations between GUV daughter vesicles create cascades water current, inducing pulsatory transient poration enable exchange buds interior. This results efficient water-flux-mediated delivery across boundary. Our findings suggest primitive physical mechanism communication transport protocellular compartments driven only stresses. They also plausible routes intravesicular, possibly intracellular, ions, solutes, stimulated simply currents water.

Language: Английский

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Proto-Neurons from Abiotic Polypeptides

Encyclopedia, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 4(1), P. 512 - 543

Published: March 8, 2024

To understand the origins of life, we must first gain a grasp unresolved emergence informational polymers and cell-like assemblies that developed into living systems. Heating amino acid mixtures to their boiling point produces thermal proteins self-assemble membrane-bound protocells, offering compelling abiogenic route for forming polypeptides. Recent research has revealed presence electrical excitability signal processing capacities in proteinoids, indicating possibility primitive cognitive functions problem-solving capabilities. This review examines characteristics exhibited by including activity self-assembly properties, exploring possible roles such polypeptides under prebiotic conditions early biomolecular complexity. Experiments showcasing unconventional computing with proteinoids as well modelling proteinoid synthetic proto-brains are given. Proteinoids’ robust production, biomimetic features, computational capability shed light on potential phases evolution life from primordial environment.

Language: Английский

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Nanomicelle-enabled chemoenzymatic catalysis: Clean chemistry in “dirty” water

Chem Catalysis, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 3(1), P. 100458 - 100458

Published: Nov. 17, 2022

Language: Английский

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Physical Concept to Explain the Regulation of Lipid Membrane Phase Separation under Isothermal Conditions

Life, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 13(5), P. 1105 - 1105

Published: April 28, 2023

Lateral phase separation within lipid bilayer membranes has attracted considerable attention in the fields of biophysics and cell biology. Living cells organize laterally segregated compartments, such as raft domains an ordered phase, regulate their dynamic structures under isothermal conditions to promote cellular functions. Model membrane systems with minimum components are powerful tools for investigating basic phenomena separation. With use model systems, several physicochemical characteristics have been revealed. This review focuses on triggering from a physical point view. We consider free energy that describes lateral explain experimental results domain formation conditions. Three possible regulation factors discussed: electrostatic interactions, chemical reactions tension. These findings may contribute better understanding organization living function could be useful development artificial engineering.

Language: Английский

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Prebiotic RNA self-assembling and the origin of life: Mechanistic and molecular modeling rationale for explaining the prebiotic origin and replication of RNA

Acta Histochemica, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 152226 - 152226

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Systematic Investigation of Double Emulsion Dewetting Dynamics for the Droplet Microfluidic Production of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) under Biocompatible Conditions

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

Abstract Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) embody biomimetic membranes with compartmentalization that serve not only as simplified models to better understand complex biochemical and biophysical processes, but also a chassis for the bottom-up assembly of synthetic cells. Recently, double emulsion droplet microfluidics has proven be promising platform their production, offering greater throughput, control, reproducibility over traditional methods. However, interplay parameters—particularly under biocompatible conditions—that influence multiphase fluid dynamics dewetting process underlying GUV production been thoroughly studied, limiting democratization approach. In this study, we systematically investigate how lipid composition concentration, aqueous phase conditions, confinement, effects promote or impede process. We show prevalent use high concentrations glycerol P188 are unnecessary, altered restricted surfactant usage can tuned by adjusting chip dimensions multi-phase compositions. Guided these findings, achieved robust, throughput monodisperse GUVs using 0.1% no salts. Our results improve reliability accessibility droplet-microfluidics platforms catalyze advances in biophysics, biology, drug discovery.

Language: Английский

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Recent Advances in Soft Matter

Materials, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 18(7), P. 1440 - 1440

Published: March 25, 2025

As the current Section Editor for Soft Matter of Materials, I am delighted to be able present a Special Issue journal:

Language: Английский

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