Zhou Shaohong, Cai Xueer, Zhang Yanwen, Chen Qiaoshu, Yang Xiaohai, Wang Kemin, Jian Lixin, Liu Jianbo
State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Bio-Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, P. R. China.
J Mater Chem B. 2022 Oct 19;10(40):8322-8329. doi: 10.1039/d2tb01451c.
Coacervate microdroplets, formed liquid-liquid phase separation, have been proposed as a compartment model for the construction of artificial cells or organelles. However, these microsystems are very fragile and demonstrate liquid-like fluidity. Here, an artificial cytoskeleton based on DNA nanotubes was constructed in coacervate microdroplets to modulate the liquid fluidic properties of the microdroplets. The coacervate microdroplets were obtained from the association of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes through liquid-liquid phase separation, and DNA nanotubes were constructed by molecular tile self-assembly from six clip sequences. The DNA nanotubes were efficiently sequestered in the liquid coacervate microdroplets, and the rigid structure of the DNA nanotubes was capable of modulating the liquid fluidic properties of the coacervate protocell models, as indicated by coalescence imaging and atomic force microscopy analysis. Therefore, artificial cytoskeletons made from DNA nanotubes worked in modulating the liquid fluidic properties of coacervate microdroplets, in a manner akin to the cytoskeleton in the cell. DNA cytoskeletons have the potential to become an ideal platform with which how the liquid fluidic properties of cells are modulated by their cytoskeletons can be investigated, and the cell-sized coacervate microdroplets containing artificial cytoskeletons might be critical in developing a stable liquid-phase protocell model.
通过液-液相分离形成的凝聚微滴已被提议作为构建人工细胞或细胞器的区室模型。然而,这些微系统非常脆弱,并表现出类似液体的流动性。在此,基于DNA纳米管构建了一种人工细胞骨架,用于调节凝聚微滴的液体流体性质。凝聚微滴是通过带相反电荷的聚电解质之间的缔合经液-液相分离获得的,DNA纳米管则由六个夹子序列通过分子瓦片自组装构建而成。DNA纳米管被有效地隔离在液态凝聚微滴中,并且如聚结成像和原子力显微镜分析所示,DNA纳米管的刚性结构能够调节凝聚原细胞模型的液体流体性质。因此,由DNA纳米管制成的人工细胞骨架在调节凝聚微滴的液体流体性质方面发挥了作用,其方式类似于细胞中的细胞骨架。DNA细胞骨架有潜力成为一个理想平台,借此可以研究细胞的细胞骨架如何调节其液体流体性质,并且含有人工细胞骨架的细胞大小的凝聚微滴对于开发稳定的液相原细胞模型可能至关重要。