Towards synthetic cells using peptide-based reaction compartments

Kilian Vogele, Thomas Frank, Lukas Gasser, Marisa A. Goetzfried, Mathias W. Hackl, Stephan A. Sieber, Friedrich C. Simmel, Tobias Pirzer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Scopus citations

Abstract

Membrane compartmentalization and growth are central aspects of living cells, and are thus encoded in every cell’s genome. For the creation of artificial cellular systems, genetic information and production of membrane building blocks will need to be coupled in a similar manner. However, natural biochemical reaction networks and membrane building blocks are notoriously difficult to implement in vitro. Here, we utilized amphiphilic elastin-like peptides (ELP) to create self-assembled vesicular structures of about 200 nm diameter. In order to genetically encode the growth of these vesicles, we encapsulate a cell-free transcription-translation system together with the DNA template inside the peptide vesicles. We show in vesiculo production of a functioning fluorescent RNA aptamer and a fluorescent protein. Furthermore, we implement in situ expression of the membrane peptide itself and finally demonstrate autonomous vesicle growth due to the incorporation of this ELP into the membrane.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3862
JournalNature Communications
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2018

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