A cell-penetrating peptide induces the self-reproduction of phospholipid vesicles: understanding the role of the bilayer rigidity.

Model lipid vesicles self-reproduce to generate unilamellar daughter vesicles in the presence of a cell-penetrating peptide. Fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy image analysis exquisitely capture the change in the lipid bilayer rigidity throughout the process, whereas a solvation dynamic study delineates the change in the dynamics of the encapsulated water inside the vesicles. Overall, our results provide an experimental underpinning of the role of the lipid bilayer structural changes in self-reproduction, which can exhibit great potential for interpreting the protein-membrane interaction in the emergence of life and for developing new therapeutic strategies.