Toward long-lasting artificial cells that better mimic natural living cells

Abstract

Chemical communication is ubiquitous in biology, and so efforts in building convincing cellular mimics must consider how cells behave on a population level. Simple model systems have been built in the laboratory that show communication between different artificial cells and artificial cells with natural, living cells. Examples include artificial cells that depend on purely abiological components and artificial cells built from biological components and are driven by biological mechanisms. However, an artificial cell solely built to communicate chemically without carrying the machinery needed for self-preservation cannot remain active for long periods of time. What is needed is to begin integrating the pathways required for chemical communication with metabolic-like chemistry so that robust artificial systems can be built that better inform biology and aid in the generation of new technologies.

Origin of Species before Origin of Life: The Role of Speciation in Chemical Evolution

“…Speciation of generalized primitive compartments containing evolvable and replicable genetic components (with parasites), similar to those demonstrated experimentally above, has also been modeled through cellular automata [ 156 , 157 ]. Thus, to complement such computational research, ongoing research has been focused on demonstrating evolution and speciation of genetic molecule-encapsulating compartments of a variety of prebiotically relevant constructions such as lipid vesicles, oil-in-water droplets, or even more complex life-like artificial cells [ 102 , 138 , 140 , 158 , 159 , 160 ]. In fact, chemical evolution and speciation has even been recently described in far-from-equilibrium conditions even in mineral environments [ 161 ], themselves proposed to be one of the earliest compartment forms on early Earth [ 162 ], suggesting that chemical speciation likely had been occurring far before the emergence of the first precursors to modern compartments (i.e., a protocell).…”

Cell‐Free Synthesis of Dopamine and Serotonin in Two Steps with Purified Enzymes

“…In fact, artificial cells that can sense the environment and synthesize and release biological signaling molecules have already been built. [ 18–20 ] More recently, artificial cells were shown to drive the differentiation of neural stem cells. [ 21 ] If similar systems were capable of sensing and synthesizing dopamine, for example, then artificial cells could potentially be used to treat debilitating ailments, such as Parkinson's disease and anxiety.…”

Translation-coupled RNA replication and parasitic replicators in membrane-free compartments

“…Such a persistent genome replication system functional with a lower input of translation proteins would be a step toward realizing a self-regenerating and long-lasting artificial cell. 4 Moreover, the ATPS supported the RNA self-replication by sheltering a genomic RNA from various short parasitic RNAs (Fig. 3 and Fig.…”

“…Bottom-up construction of an artificial cell is a viable approach to dissect the roles and mechanisms of cellular functions and provide novel cell-like reactors that can be readily manipulated. [1][2][3][4][5] To better mimic cell behaviour and create complex biological systems, a key step in artificial cell construction is the compartmentalization of gene expression machinery, a central part of living cells that converts genetic information into proteins to facilitate cellular processes. Typically performed in artificial cells with phospholipid membranes, previous research integrated cell-free gene expression systems with diverse cellular phenomena including quorum sensing, 6 cell deformation, 7,8 energy generation, 9 and replication of DNA and RNA.…”