Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are highly ordered and complex structures that constitute the smallest functional units of multicellular organisms. We aimed to mimic capabilities and organization of natural eukaryotic cells in a synthetic, non-living artificial cell. Using a microfluidic method we produce porous polymeric capsules with an artificial nucleus where DNA is immobilized. Upon addition of transcription and translation reagents capsules synthesize proteins encoded in their nuclei. Proteins can be targeted to different locations in the artificial cell such as the nucleus or the cell wall by specific binding interactions. Arranged in synthetic tissues artificial cells communicate with each other through diffusible signals that influence gene expression in neighboring cells. Our results suggest that artificial cells may serve as simplified models to study signaling and spatial organization in natural, living cells and tissues. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the Department of Defense (Army Research Office) through the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) under Award No. W911NF-13-1-0383. H.N. acknowledges support through an Advanced Postdoc. Mobility fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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