Programmable self-destruction of artificial cells with death signaling.

ABSTRACT: Programmed cell death is a crucial biological process that removes damaged or no longer needed cells and is orchestrated through complex intracellular signaling cascades. Mimicking such behavior in synthetic systems enables programmed disassembly after completing a task or releasing cargo on demand. Despite advances in engineering artificial cells (ACs) that mimic key cellular functions such as metabolism, homeostasis or communication, systems with a programmable lifetime remain unrealized. Here, we introduce a time-programmed self-destruction mechanism in ACs based on pH-responsive giant unilamellar vesicles, equipped with an internal UV-inducible acidification cascade. Upon light activation, photocaged glucose is enzymatically converted to gluconic acid, lowering the internal pH and dest

SUBMITTER: Krehan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12683541 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature