Biological cells display complex internal architectures, with distinct micro environments that establish the chemical heterogeneity needed to sustain cellular functions. The continued efforts to create advanced cell mimics – artificial cells– demands strategies to construct similarly heterogeneous structures with localized functionalities. Here, we introduce a platform for
constructing membrane-less artificial cells from the self-assembly of synthetic DNA nanostructures, in which internal domains can be estab-
lished thanks to prescribed reaction-diffusion waves. The method, rationalized through numerical modeling, enables the formation of up to five distinct, concentric environments, in which functional moieties can be localized. As a proof-of-concept, we apply this platform to build DNA-based artificial cells in which a prototypical nucleus synthesizes fluorescent RNA
aptamers, which then accumulate in a surrounding storage shell, thus demonstrating spatial segregation of functionalities reminiscent of that observed in biological cells.