Thermo-responsive aqueous two-phase system for two-level compartmentalization.
Nat Commun
; 15(1): 6771, 2024 Aug 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39117632
ABSTRACT
Hierarchical compartmentalization responding to changes in intracellular and extracellular environments is ubiquitous in living eukaryotic cells but remains a formidable task in synthetic systems. Here we report a two-level compartmentalization approach based on a thermo-responsive aqueous two-phase system (TR-ATPS) comprising poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and dextran (DEX). Liquid membraneless compartments enriched in PNIPAM are phase-separated from the continuous DEX solution via liquid-liquid phase separation at 25 °C and shrink dramatically with small second-level compartments generated at the interface, resembling the structure of colloidosome, by increasing the temperature to 35 °C. The TR-ATPS can store biomolecules, program the spatial distribution of enzymes, and accelerate the overall biochemical reaction efficiency by nearly 7-fold. The TR-ATPS inspires on-demand, stimulus-triggered spatiotemporal enrichment of biomolecules via two-level compartmentalization, creating opportunities in synthetic biology and biochemical engineering.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Temperature
/
Acrylic Resins
/
Dextrans
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Commun
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China
Country of publication:
Reino Unido