TY - JOUR
T1 - Osmotic-Induced Reconfiguration and Activation in Membranized Coacervate-Based Protocells
AU - Zhang, Yanwen
AU - Wang, Zefeng
AU - Li, Mei
AU - Xu, Can
AU - Gao, Ning
AU - Yin, Zhuping
AU - Wang, Kemin
AU - Mann, Stephen
AU - Liu, Jianbo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2023/5/10
Y1 - 2023/5/10
N2 - The design and construction of synthetic protocells capable of stimuli response and homeostatic regulation is an important challenge for synthetic protobiology. Here, we develop a step toward the construction of model protocells capable of a hypotonic stress-induced volume response that facilitates an increase in membrane permeability and the triggering of endogenous enzyme reactions. We describe a facile self-transformation process for constructing single- or multichambered molecularly crowded protocells based on the osmotic reconfiguration of lipid-coated coacervate droplets into multicompartmentalized coacervate vesicles. Hypotonic swelling broadens membrane permeability and increases transmembrane transport such that protease-based hydrolysis and enzyme cascades can be triggered and enhanced within the protocells by osmotically induced expansion. Specifically, we demonstrate how the enhanced production of nitric oxide (NO) within the swollen coacervate vesicles can be used to induce in vitro blood vessel vasodilation in thoracic artery rings. Our approach provides opportunities for designing reconfigurable model protocells capable of homeostatic volume regulation, dynamic structural reorganization, and adaptive functionality in response to changes in environment osmolarity, and could find applications in biomedicine, cellular diagnostics, and bioengineering.
AB - The design and construction of synthetic protocells capable of stimuli response and homeostatic regulation is an important challenge for synthetic protobiology. Here, we develop a step toward the construction of model protocells capable of a hypotonic stress-induced volume response that facilitates an increase in membrane permeability and the triggering of endogenous enzyme reactions. We describe a facile self-transformation process for constructing single- or multichambered molecularly crowded protocells based on the osmotic reconfiguration of lipid-coated coacervate droplets into multicompartmentalized coacervate vesicles. Hypotonic swelling broadens membrane permeability and increases transmembrane transport such that protease-based hydrolysis and enzyme cascades can be triggered and enhanced within the protocells by osmotically induced expansion. Specifically, we demonstrate how the enhanced production of nitric oxide (NO) within the swollen coacervate vesicles can be used to induce in vitro blood vessel vasodilation in thoracic artery rings. Our approach provides opportunities for designing reconfigurable model protocells capable of homeostatic volume regulation, dynamic structural reorganization, and adaptive functionality in response to changes in environment osmolarity, and could find applications in biomedicine, cellular diagnostics, and bioengineering.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85156100341&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/jacs.3c02540
DO - 10.1021/jacs.3c02540
M3 - Article
C2 - 37104061
AN - SCOPUS:85156100341
SN - 0002-7863
VL - 145
SP - 10396
EP - 10403
JO - Journal of the American Chemical Society
JF - Journal of the American Chemical Society
IS - 18
ER -