Chloroplast-containing coacervate micro-droplets as a step towards photosynthetically active membrane-free protocells.

B V V S Pavan Kumar,Liangfei Tian,Stephen Mann,Joshua Bretherton,James Fothergill,Avinash J Patil,Sean A Davis

doi:10.1039/c8cc01129j

Abstract

Encapsulation of structurally and functionally intact chloroplasts within coacervate micro-droplets is used to prepare membrane-free protocells capable of light-induced electron transport.

Highlights

Encapsulation of structurally and functionally intact chloroplasts within coacervate micro-droplets is used to prepare membranefree protocells capable of light-induced electron transport
Coacervate dispersions were prepared from mixtures of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and CMDX at an initial PDDA : CMDX monomer mole ratio of 0.3 : 1, and centrifuged and re-dispersed in buffer to produce positively charged droplets (Fig. S2, Electronic supplementary information (ESI)†)
The PDDA/CMDX coacervate phase was stable across a range of buffer concentrations required to maintain the integrity of the isolated chloroplasts; in contrast, alternative formulations such as 2PDDA : 1 adenosine 50-triphosphate (ATP) were much less stable (Fig. S3, ESI†)

Summary

Introduction

Encapsulation of structurally and functionally intact chloroplasts within coacervate micro-droplets is used to prepare membranefree protocells capable of light-induced electron transport. Mixing aqueous buffered dispersions of the chloroplasts and a PDDA/CMDX coacervate phase resulted in sequestration of the cellular organelles into the interior of the positively charged coacervate micro-droplets (Fig. 2c and g).

Results

Conclusion