Protocell Communication through the Eyes of Synthetic Organic Chemists

Abstract

The bottom‐up fabrication of synthetic cells (protocells) from molecules and materials, is a major challenge of modern chemistry. A significant breakthrough has been the engineering of protocells capable of chemical communication using bio‐derived natural molecules and ex situ stabilised cell machineries. These, however, suffer from short shelf‐lives, high costs, and require mild aqueous conditions. In this Concept Article we analyse the chemistry at the heart of protocell communication to highlight new opportunities for synthetic chemists in protocell engineering. Specifically, we (i) categorise the main bio‐derived chemical communication machineries in enzyme cascades, DNA strand displacement, and gene‐mediated communication; (ii) review the chemistries of these signal transduction machineries; and (iii) introduce new types of bio‐inspired, fully synthetic artificial enzymes to replace their natural counterparts. Developing protocells that incorporate synthetic analogues of bio‐derived signal transduction machineries will improve the robustness, stability and versatility of protocells, and broaden their applications to highly strategic fields such as photocatalysis and fine chemicals production.

Towards Autonomous Materials–Challenges in Chemical Communication

“…done on communication between protocells [40][41][42][43] (from coacervates to vesicles to polymersomes) and the interfacing of protocells with living matter (bacterial, fungal, or eukaryotic cells). [44][45][46][47] While utilizing the biological toolbox has received much attention, relying on its selectivity and easily tunable nature, creating purely chemical analogs of communication, complete with entities capable of sending, receiving, processing signals, and making decisions remains a fundamental challenge.…”