Contagious Aggregation: Transmittable Protein Aggregation in Cellular Communities Initiated by Synthetic Cells.

Aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins causing neurodegenerative diseases is an uncontrollable and contagious process that is often associated with lipid membranes in a highly complex physiological environment. Although several approaches using natural cells and membrane models have been reported, systematic investigations focusing on the association with the membranes are highly challenging, mostly because of the lack of proper molecular tools. Here, we report a new supramolecular approach using a synthetic cell system capable of controlling the initiation of protein aggregation and mimicking various conditions of lipid membranes, thereby enabling systematic investigations of membrane-dependent effects on protein aggregation by visualization. Extending this strategy through concurrent use of synthetic cells and natural cells, we demonstrate the potential of this approach for systematic and in-depth studies on interrogating inter- and intracellularly transmittable protein aggregation. Thus, this new approach offers opportunities for gaining insights into the pathological implications of contagious protein aggregation associated with membranes for neurotoxicity.

Cascade reaction networks within audible sound induced transient domains in a solution.

Spatiotemporal control of chemical cascade reactions within compartmentalized domains is one of the difficult challenges to achieve. To implement such control, scientists have been working on the development of various artificial compartmentalized systems such as liposomes, vesicles, polymersomes, etc. Although a considerable amount of progress has been made in this direction, one still needs to develop alternative strategies for controlling cascade reaction networks within spatiotemporally controlled domains in a solution, which remains a non-trivial issue. Herein, we present the utilization of audible sound induced liquid vibrations for the generation of transient domains in an aqueous medium, which can be used for the control of cascade chemical reactions in a spatiotemporal fashion. This approach gives us access to highly reproducible spatiotemporal chemical gradients and patterns, in situ growth and aggregation of gold nanoparticles at predetermined locations or domains formed in a solution. Our strategy also gives us access to nanoparticle patterned hydrogels and their applications for region specific cell growth.