Work

Enzymatically reconfigurable liquid crystalline coacervate microdroplets as protocell models

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Reconfigurable cell-sized compartments can act as artificial cellular models that dynamically respond to environmental stimuli, mimicking the adaptive behaviors of living cells. In this study, we present enzymatically active liquid crystalline (LC) coacervate microdroplets as a protocell model, which undergoes differentiation into helicoidal vesicles and eventually membranous protocells containing artificial organelles. The LC protocell microdroplets are developed through electrostatic complexation between a negatively charged polysaccharide and a cationic surfactant. We identify the amylase-mediated hydrolysis of polysaccharide as the molecular mechanism that is accounted for two-step structural changes of protocells, in which electrostatic complexation plays a crucial role. Notably, by integrating affinitive biomolecules into the LC microdroplets, we demonstrate the reconfiguration of protocells into yolk-shell coacervate vesicles that support biochemical reactions. Our findings illustrate the potential to build protocell models to mimic the differentiation behaviors of cellular materials and shed light to the understanding of the structural reconfiguration of protocells. Reconfigurable cell-sized compartments can act as artificial cellular models that dynamically respond to environmental stimuli, mimicking the adaptive behaviours of living cells. Here, the authors present enzymatically active liquid crystalline (LC) coacervate microdroplets as a protocell model, which undergoes differentiation into helicoidal vesicles and eventually membranous protocells containing artificial organelles.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65601-6

Authors: Liyan Jia, Chengcheng Zhou, Yan Qiao

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangzhou University

Language: English

Topic: Origins and Evolution of Life

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,990

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences