Minimal Out-of-Equilibrium Metabolism for Synthetic Cells: A Membrane Perspective.

ABSTRACT: Life-like systems need to maintain a basal metabolism, which includes importing a variety of building blocks required for macromolecule synthesis, exporting dead-end products, and recycling cofactors and metabolic intermediates, while maintaining steady internal physical and chemical conditions (physicochemical homeostasis). A compartment, such as a unilamellar vesicle, functionalized with membrane-embedded transport proteins and metabolic enzymes encapsulated in the lumen meets these requirements. Here, we identify four modules designed for a minimal metabolism in a synthetic cell with a lipid bilayer boundary: energy provision and conversion, physicochemical homeostasis, metabolite transport, and membrane expansion. We review design strategies that can be used to fulfill these functions

SUBMITTER: Bailoni E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10127287 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature