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Recent research news on Artificial Biology


Distinct Network Morphologies from In Situ Polymerization of Microtubules in Giant Polymer-Lipid Hybrid Vesicles

Creating artificial cells with a dynamic cytoskeleton, akin to those in living cells, is a major goal in bottom-up synthetic biology. In this study, we demonstrate the in situ polymerization of microtubules encapsulated in giant polymer-lipid hybrid vesicles (GHVs) composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and an amphiphilic block copolymer. The block copolymer is comprised of poly(cholesteryl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate) as the hydrophobic block and either poly(6-O-methacryloyl-D-galactopyranose) or poly(carboxyethyl acrylate) as the hydrophilic extension. Depending on the concentrations of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) or its slowly hydrolyzable analog, guanosine-5′-[(α,β)-methyleno]triphosphate (GMPCPP), different microtubule morphologies are observed, including encapsulated microtubule networks, spike protrusions, as well as membrane-associated or aggregated microtubules. Overall, this work represents a step forward in mimicking the cellular cytoskeletons and uncovering the influence of membrane composition on microtubule morphologies.

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He, J., Steffen, J. H., Thulstrup, P. W., Pedersen, J. N., Sauerland, M. B., Otzen, D. E., Hawkins, C. L., Gourdon, P., Davies, M. J. & Hägglund, P. (2022). Anastellin impacts on the processing of extracellular matrix fibronectin and stimulates release of cytokines from coronary artery smooth muscle cells. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 22051. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26359-9
Rajabi-Abhari, A., Lee, J., Tabassian, R., Kim, J.-N., Lee, H. & Oh, I.-K. (2022). Antagonistically Functionalized Diatom Biosilica for Bio-Triboelectric Generators. Small, 18(20), Article 2107638. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202107638
Kim, B. B., Wu, H., Hao, Y. A., Pan, M., Chavarha, M., Zhao, Y., Westberg, M., St-Pierre, F., Wu, J. C. & Lin, M. Z. (2022). A red fluorescent protein with improved monomericity enables ratiometric voltage imaging with ASAP3. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 3678. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07313-1