Advancing Artificial Cells with Functional Compartmentalized Polymeric Systems - In Honor of Wolfgang Meier.

ABSTRACT

The fundamental building block of living organisms is the cell, which is the universal biological base of all living entities. This micrometric mass of cytoplasm and the membrane border have fascinated scientists due to the highly complex and multicompartmentalized structure. This specific organization enables numerous metabolic reactions to occur simultaneously and in segregated spaces, without disturbing each other, but with a promotion of inter- and intracellular communication of biomolecules. At present, artificial nano- and microcompartments, whether as single components or self-organized in multicompartment architectures, hold significant value in the study of life development and advanced functional materials and in the fabrication of molecular devices for medical applications. These artificial compartments also possess the properties to encapsulate, protect, and control the release of bio(macro)molecules through selective transport processes, and they are capable of embedding or being connected with other types of compartments. The self-assembly mechanism of specific synthetic compartments and thus the fabrication of a simulated organelle membrane are some of the major aspects to gain insight. Considerable efforts have now been devoted to design various nano- and microcompartments and understand their functionality for precise control over properties. Of particular interest is the use of polymeric vesicles for communication in synthetic cells and colloidal systems to reinitiate chemical and biological communication and thus close the gap toward biological functions. Multicompartment systems can now be effectively created with a high level of hierarchical control. In this way, these structures can not only be explored to deepen our understanding of the functional organization of living cells, but also pave the way for many more exciting developments in the biomedical field.