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bioRxiv · 10.1101/481887

A synthetic morphogenic perceptory cell

Gavriljuk, K.·Ghasemalizadeh, F.·Scocozza, B.·Nandan, A. P.·Seidel, H.·Schmick, M.·Koseska, A.·Bastiaens, P.
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Abstract

Reconstitution of artificial cells capable of transducing extracellular signals into cytoskeletal changes is a challenge in synthetic biology that will reveal fundamental principles of non-equilibrium phenomena of cellular morphogenesis and information processing. Here, we generated a life-like Synthetic Morphogenic Membrane System (SynMMS) by encapsulating a dynamic microtubule (MT) aster and a light-inducible signaling system driven by GTP/ATP chemical potential into cell-sized vesicles. The biomimetic design of the light-induced signaling system embodies the operational principle of morphogen induced Rho-GTPase signal transduction in cells. Activation of synthetic signaling promotes membrane-deforming growth of MT-filaments by dynamically elevating the membrane-proximal concentration of tubulin. The resulting membrane deformations enable the recursive coupling of the MT-aster with the signaling system, creating global self-organized morphologies that reorganize towards external light cues in dependence on prior sensory experience that is stored in the dynamically maintained morphology. SynMMS thereby signifies a step towards bio-inspired engineering of self-organized cellular morphogenesis.

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Gavriljuk, K., Ghasemalizadeh, F., Scocozza, B., Nandan, A. P., Seidel, H., Schmick, M., Koseska, A., Bastiaens, P.. 2018-11-29. A synthetic morphogenic perceptory cell. https://doi.org/10.1101/481887

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