Micrometer-sized molecular robot changes its shape in response to signal molecules

Sato, Yusuke; Hiratsuka, Yuichi; Kawamata, Ibuki; Murata, Satoshi; Nomura, Shin Ichiro M.

doi:10.1126/scirobotics.aal3735

Cited by 145 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…While great innovations have come from mimicking life on a macroscopic level, [1] there are few artificial systems that exhibit autonomous motion on a cellular scale. [4] Herein, we present cell-sized GUVs that autonomously and reversibly change their shape in response to the oscillatory, membraneinteracting Min protein system. [3] In recent years, first attempts were made to encapsulate biological building blocks in lipid vesicles to create structures capable of more distinct actuation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Beating Vesicles: Encapsulated Protein Oscillations Cause Dynamic Membrane Deformations

et al. 2018

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The bacterial Min protein system was encapsulated in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Using confocal fluorescence microscopy, we identified several distinct modes of spatiotemporal patterns inside spherical GUVs. For osmotically deflated GUVs, the vesicle shape actively changed in concert with the Min oscillations. The periodic relocation of Min proteins from the vesicle lumen to the membrane and back is accompanied by drastic changes in the mechanical properties of the lipid bilayer. In particular, two types of oscillating membrane‐shape changes are highlighted: 1) GUVs that repeatedly undergo fission into two connected compartments and fusion of these compartments back into a dumbbell shape and 2) GUVs that show periodic budding and subsequent merging of the buds with the mother vesicle, accompanied by an overall shape change of the vesicle reminiscent of a bouncing ball. These findings demonstrate how reaction–diffusion‐based protein self‐organization can directly yield visible mechanical effects on membrane compartments, even up to autonomous division, without the need for coupling to cytoskeletal elements.

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confidence: 99%

Beating Vesicles: Encapsulated Protein Oscillations Cause Dynamic Membrane Deformations

et al. 2018

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“…Andersen et al [3] presented a DNA box with a controllable lid that can trap a cargo inside. Even significantly more complex structures such as DNA robots have already been developed [43]. With the increasing complexity of DNA nanostructures, however, novel computational DNA design concepts are needed because the current tools have been developed just for simple, static DNA objects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale Visualization and Scale-Adaptive Modification of DNA Nanostructures

Miao

Llano

Sorger

et al. 2018

IEEE Trans. Visual. Comput. Graphics

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Abstract-We present an approach to represent DNA nanostructures in varying forms of semantic abstraction, describe ways to smoothly transition between them, and thus create a continuous multiscale visualization and interaction space for applications in DNA nanotechnology. This new way of observing, interacting with, and creating DNA nanostructures enables domain experts to approach their work in any of the semantic abstraction levels, supporting both low-level manipulations and high-level visualization and modifications. Our approach allows them to deal with the increasingly complex DNA objects that they are designing, to improve their features, and to add novel functions in a way that no existing single-scale approach offers today. For this purpose we collaborated with DNA nanotechnology experts to design a set of ten semantic scales. These scales take the DNA's chemical and structural behavior into account and depict it from atoms to the targeted architecture with increasing levels of abstraction. To create coherence between the discrete scales, we seamlessly transition between them in a well-defined manner. We use special encodings to allow experts to estimate the nanoscale object's stability. We also add scale-adaptive interactions that facilitate the intuitive modification of complex structures at multiple scales. We demonstrate the applicability of our approach on an experimental use case. Moreover, feedback from our collaborating domain experts confirmed an increased time efficiency and certainty for analysis and modification tasks on complex DNA structures. Our method thus offers exciting new opportunities with promising applications in medicine and biotechnology.

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“…Recently, active motions of cell-sized vesicles or droplets utilizing the combination of microtubules (MTs) and kinesin as their engine have been reported [4][5][6][7] . Some molecular robots successfully change their shape using mechanical processes of biomolecules, including elongation/retraction of MTs controlled by hydrostatic pressure using a high-pressure microscope that was developed to acquire microscopic images while applying pressure up to 150 MPa on the sample; and sliding motions between MTs and kinesin motors switched ON/OFF controlled by a DNA-clutch system [8][9][10] . However, those systems require specialized equipment and/or complex components of biomolecules, which are not routinely available.…”

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confidence: 99%

Repetitive stretching of giant liposomes utilizing the nematic alignment of confined actin

2018

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Giant liposomes encapsulating cytoskeletons have been constructed to further understand the mechanisms of cell movement and develop cell-sized chemical machineries. Innovative studies demonstrating liposomal movements using microtubules and the molecular motors kinesin/dynein have been reported. However, no one has succeeded in generating repetitive motions controlled by external stimuli. Here we show that if the actin concentration in liposomes is comparable to that of cytoplasm of living cells, the liposomes can be deformed into spindle shapes by encapsulating only actin filaments, even without the molecular motor myosin. Furthermore, their shapes can be changed reversibly between spindle and sphere shapes by adjusting osmotic pressure or by light irradiation of fluorescent-labeled actin. In the latter case, the repetitive shape changes are accompanied with stretching and shrinking of filopodia-or acrosome projection-like extensions. Our results indicate that filamentous polymer of variable length like actin filament is a potential material for the reproduction of cell-like movement.

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Micrometer-sized molecular robot changes its shape in response to signal molecules

Abstract: An amoeba-like molecular robot changes its shape in response to sequence-designed DNA signal molecules.

Cited by 145 publications

References 55 publications

Beating Vesicles: Encapsulated Protein Oscillations Cause Dynamic Membrane Deformations

Beating Vesicles: Encapsulated Protein Oscillations Cause Dynamic Membrane Deformations

Multiscale Visualization and Scale-Adaptive Modification of DNA Nanostructures

Repetitive stretching of giant liposomes utilizing the nematic alignment of confined actin

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