Magnetic modulation of biochemical synthesis in synthetic cells
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Synthetic cells can be constructed from diverse molecular components, without the design constraints associated with modifying 'living' biological systems. This can be exploited to generate cells with abiotic components, creating functionalities absent in biology. One example is magnetic responsiveness, the activation and modulation of encapsulated biochemical processes using a magnetic field, which is absent from existing synthetic cell designs. This is a critical oversight, as magnetic fields are uniquely bio-orthogonal, noninvasive, and highly penetrative. Here, we address this by producing artificial magneto-responsive organelles by coupling thermoresponsive membranes with hyperthermic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and embedding them in synthetic cells. Combining these systems enables synthetic cell microreactors to be built using a nested vesicle architecture, which can respond to alternating magnetic fields through in situ enzymatic catalysis. We also demonstrate the modulation of biochemical reactions by using different magnetic field strengths and the potential to tune the system using different lipid compositions. This platform could unlock a wide range of applications for synthetic cells as programmable micromachines in biomedicine and biotechnology.
Date Issued
2024-05-15
Date Acceptance
2024-04-09
Citation
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024, 146 (19), pp.13176-13182
ISSN
0002-7863
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
13176
End Page
13182
Journal / Book Title
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Volume
146
Issue
19
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under
CC-BY 4.0.
CC-BY 4.0.
License URL
Identifier
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c00845
Subjects
Chemistry
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
DELIVERY
DIMYRISTOYLPHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE
LIPOSOMES
NANOPARTICLES
ORGANIZATION
Physical Sciences
RELEASE
RESPONSIVE VESICLES
Science & Technology
TRANSITION
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-05-01