Scientists around the globe are working on building synthetic cells from the bottom up. Their use in studying cellular mechanisms creates great value for understanding nature and developing new therapeutic approaches. The next step towards synthetic cells was taken by scientists from the 2nd Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart.
They put functional DNA-based chyrons into cells. The shape, internal organization and other vital functions of a cell can be controlled by theskeletons. The function of the cytoskeletons in the synthetic droplets was shown by the researchers. The results were published in a chemistry journal.
The challenge is to mimic the functions of the human body.
Each cell has a vital component called the cytoskeleton. Beyond the basic function of giving the cell its shape, it is essential for many cellular processes, such as cell division, and in response to external signals. Being able to mimic the functions of a natural system in an artificial setup is an important step in the design of a synthetic cell. It comes with many challenges due to its diverse requirements.
In the field of synthetic biology, researchers have used DNA to recreate cellular components such as mimics of ion channels. They take advantage of the fact that DNA can be programmed to self- assemble into a shape.
There is a synthetic cytoskeleton.
Highly specific and programmed tasks, as well as versatile design possibilities beyond what is available from the biologically defined tools, can be enabled by synthetic DNA structures. Laura Na Liu is a Professor at the 2nd Physics Institute, University of Stuttgart.
The basis of building a cytoskeleton can be found in the way DNA is assembled into micron-scale filaments. The assembly and disassembly upon external stimulation and inside a compartment are just a few of the functions that these filaments have. Scientists from the University of Stuttgart and the MPI for Medical Research have taken the next step in the creation of an artificial cell by using a synthetic cytoskeleton.
Kerstin Gpfrich is the leader of the research group at the MPI for Medical Research.
The transport of vesicles is speeding up.
The burnt-bridge mechanism was used by the scientists to induce the transport of vesicles. The microtubuli are part of the natural cytoskeleton. In comparison to living cells, the transport of our DNA is not as fast. Kevin Jahnke, the first author of the paper and a post-doc in Kerstin Gpfrich's group, said that speeding it up will be a challenge for the future.
It was a challenge to fine-tune the energy landscapes of the DNA nanostructures. Functionalizing the DNA will be crucial to mimic natural cells better in the future. Synthetic cells can be created to study cellular mechanisms in greater detail.
More information: Pengfei Zhan et al, Functional DNA-based cytoskeletons for synthetic cells, Nature Chemistry (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-00945-w Journal information: Nature Chemistry
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