Self-Emergent Protocells Generated in an Aqueous Solution with Binary Macromolecules through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.
Chembiochem
; 21(23): 3323-3328, 2020 12 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32667694
ABSTRACT
Recently, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has attracted considerable attention among researchers in the life sciences as a plausible mechanism for the generation of microstructures inside cells. LLPS occurs through multiple nonspecific interactions and does not always require a lock-and-key interaction with a binary macromolecular solution. The remarkable features of LLPS include the non-uniform localization and concentration of solutes, resulting in the ability to isolate certain chemical systems and thereby parallelize multiple chemical reactions within the limited space of a living cell. We report that, by using the macromolecules, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and dextran, that exhibit LLPS in an aqueous solution, cell-sized liposomes are spontaneously formed therein in the presence of phospholipids. In this system, LLPS is generated through the depletion effect of macromolecules. The results showed that cell-like microdroplets entrapping DNA wrapped by a phospholipid layer emerge in a self-organized manner.
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Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Polietilenoglicóis
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Dextranos
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Gotículas Lipídicas
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article