Previously, we reported the manual assembly of lipid-coated aqueous droplets in oil to form two-dimensional (2D) networks in which the droplets are connected through single lipid bilayers. Here we assemble lipid-coated droplets in robust, freestanding 3D geometries: for example, a 14-droplet pyramidal assembly. The networks are designed, and each droplet is placed in a designated position. When protein pores are inserted in the bilayers between specific constituent droplets, electrical and chemical communication pathways are generated. We further describe an improved means to construct 3D droplet networks with defined organizations by the manipulation of aqueous droplets containing encapsulated magnetic beads. The droplets are maneuvered in a magnetic field to form simple construction modules, which are then used to form larger 2D and 3D structures including a 10-droplet pyramid. A methodology to construct freestanding, functional 3D droplet networks is an important step toward the programmed and automated manufacture of synthetic minimal tissues.

We have constructed a synthetic mimic of the carboxysome, a cyanobacterial carbon-fixing organelle. Using an electrostatic tagging system, we coencapsulated the two key carboxysomal enzymes, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) and carbonic anhydrase (CA), in an engineered protein cage based on lumazine synthase. A statistically significant kinetic effect of coencapsulated CA on RuBisCO activity was not observed under ambient or oxygen saturated conditions, suggesting that enzyme proximity alone may not be the key determinant in carboxysome function. The capsid shell protected the enzyme from proteolytic damage, a factor that could have provided early cyanobacteria with an evolutionary benefit. Our strategy to coencapsulate different proteins can easily be extended to other sequentially acting enzymes and lays down principles for developing artificial organelles to control biosynthetic pathways in vivo.

The bottom-up construction of artificial tissues is an underexplored area of synthetic biology. An important challenge is communication between constituent compartments of the engineered tissue and between the engineered tissue and additional compartments, including extracellular fluids, further engineered tissue and living cells. Here we present a dimeric transmembrane pore that can span two adjacent lipid bilayers and thereby allow aqueous compartments to communicate. Two heptameric staphylococcal α-hemolysin (αHL) pores were covalently linked in an aligned cap-to-cap orientation. The structure of the dimer, (α7)2, was confirmed by biochemical analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and single-channel electrical recording. We show that one of two β barrels of (α7)2 can insert into the lipid bilayer of a small unilamellar vesicle, while the other spans a planar lipid bilayer. (α7)2 pores spanning two bilayers were also observed by TEM.

Nanoparticle-based delivery systems have shown great promise for theranostics and bioimaging on the laboratory scale due to favorable pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. In this study, we examine the utility of a cage-forming variant of the protein lumazine synthase, which was previously designed and evolved to encapsulate biomacromolecular cargo. Linking antibody-binding domains to the exterior of the cage enabled binding of targeting immunoglobulins and cell-specific uptake of encapsulated cargo. Protein nanocages displaying antibody-binding domains appear to be less immunogenic than their unmodified counterparts, but they also recruit serum antibodies that can mask the efficacy of the targeting antibody. Our study highlights the strengths and limitations of a common targeting strategy for practical nanoparticle-based delivery applications.

Realization of a functional artificial cell, the so-called protocell, is a major challenge posed by synthetic biology. A subsequent goal is to use the protocellular units for the bottom-up assembly of prototissues. There is, however, a looming chasm in our knowledge between protocells and prototissues. In the present paper, we give a brief overview of the work on protocells to date, followed by a discussion on the rational design of key structural elements specific to linking two protocellular bilayers. We propose that designing synthetic parts capable of simultaneous insertion into two bilayers may be crucial in the hierarchical assembly of protocells into a functional prototissue.