scholarly journals Microfluidics for Artificial Life: Techniques for Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supramaniam ◽  
Ces ◽  
Salehi-Reyhani
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cellular Biology ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Central Tenet ◽  
Cell Synthesis ◽  
New Generation

Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary branch of science that exploits the advancement of molecular and cellular biology. Conventional modification of pre-existing cells is referred to as the top-down approach. Bottom-up synthetic biology is an emerging complementary branch that seeks to construct artificial cells from natural or synthetic components. One of the aims in bottom-up synthetic biology is to construct or mimic the complex pathways present in living cells. The recent, and rapidly growing, application of microfluidics in the field is driven by the central tenet of the bottom-up approach—the pursuit of controllably generating artificial cells with precisely defined parameters, in terms of molecular and geometrical composition. In this review we survey conventional methods of artificial cell synthesis and their limitations. We proceed to show how microfluidic approaches have been pivotal in overcoming these limitations and ushering in a new generation of complexity that may be imbued in artificial cells and the milieu of applications that result.

Evolving protocells to prototissues: rational design of a missing link

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1159-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiksha Mantri ◽  
K. Tanuj Sapra
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Hierarchical Assembly ◽  
Artificial Cell

Realization of a functional artificial cell, the so-called protocell, is a major challenge posed by synthetic biology. A subsequent goal is to use the protocellular units for the bottom-up assembly of prototissues. There is, however, a looming chasm in our knowledge between protocells and prototissues. In the present paper, we give a brief overview of the work on protocells to date, followed by a discussion on the rational design of key structural elements specific to linking two protocellular bilayers. We propose that designing synthetic parts capable of simultaneous insertion into two bilayers may be crucial in the hierarchical assembly of protocells into a functional prototissue.

scholarly journals Self-Propulsion Strategies for Artificial Cell-Like Compartments

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibon Santiago ◽  
Friedrich C. Simmel
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
Emulsion Droplet ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Droplet Motion ◽  
Active Particles ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
A Current

Reconstitution of life-like properties in artificial cells is a current research frontier in synthetic biology. Mimicking metabolism, growth, and sensing are active areas of investigation; however, achieving motility and directional taxis are also challenging in the context of artificial cells. To tackle this problem, recent progress has been made that leverages the tools of active matter physics in synthetic biology. This review surveys the most significant achievements in designing motile cell-like compartments. In this context, strategies for self-propulsion are summarized, including, compartmentalization of catalytically active particles, phoretic propulsion of vesicles and emulsion droplet motion driven by Marangoni flows. This work showcases how the realization of motile protocells may impact biomedical engineering while also aiming at answering fundamental questions in locomotion of prebiotic cells.

Living Technology: Exploiting Life's Principles in Technology

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Bedau ◽  
John S. McCaskill ◽  
Norman H. Packard ◽  
Steen Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Evolvable Hardware ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Chemical Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Electronic Chemical ◽  
Core Features

The concept of living technology—that is, technology that is based on the powerful core features of life—is explained and illustrated with examples from artificial life software, reconfigurable and evolvable hardware, autonomously self-reproducing robots, chemical protocells, and hybrid electronic-chemical systems. We define primary (secondary) living technology according as key material components and core systems are not (are) derived from living organisms. Primary living technology is currently emerging, distinctive, and potentially powerful, motivating this review. We trace living technology's connections with artificial life (soft, hard, and wet), synthetic biology (top-down and bottom-up), and the convergence of nano-, bio-, information, and cognitive (NBIC) technologies. We end with a brief look at the social and ethical questions generated by the prospect of living technology.

scholarly journals Construction of membrane-bound artificial cells using microfluidics: a new frontier in bottom-up synthetic biology

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 723-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuval Elani
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
New Frontier ◽  
Membrane Bound

The quest to construct artificial cells from the bottom-up using simple building blocks has received much attention over recent decades and is one of the grand challenges in synthetic biology. Cell mimics that are encapsulated by lipid membranes are a particularly powerful class of artificial cells due to their biocompatibility and the ability to reconstitute biological machinery within them. One of the key obstacles in the field centres on the following: how can membrane-based artificial cells be generated in a controlled way and in high-throughput? In particular, how can they be constructed to have precisely defined parameters including size, biomolecular composition and spatial organization? Microfluidic generation strategies have proved instrumental in addressing these questions. This article will outline some of the major principles underpinning membrane-based artificial cells and their construction using microfluidics, and will detail some recent landmarks that have been achieved.

scholarly journals Development of Artificial Cell Models Using Microfluidic Technology and Synthetic Biology

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koki Kamiya
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Cell Models ◽  
Artificial Cell

Giant lipid vesicles or liposomes are primarily composed of phospholipids and form a lipid bilayer structurally similar to that of the cell membrane. These vesicles, like living cells, are 5–100 μm in diameter and can be easily observed using an optical microscope. As their biophysical and biochemical properties are similar to those of the cell membrane, they serve as model cell membranes for the investigation of the biophysical or biochemical properties of the lipid bilayer, as well as its dynamics and structure. Investigation of membrane protein functions and enzyme reactions has revealed the presence of soluble or membrane proteins integrated in the giant lipid vesicles. Recent developments in microfluidic technologies and synthetic biology have enabled the development of well-defined artificial cell models with complex reactions based on the giant lipid vesicles. In this review, using microfluidics, the formations of giant lipid vesicles with asymmetric lipid membranes or complex structures have been described. Subsequently, the roles of these biomaterials in the creation of artificial cell models including nanopores, ion channels, and other membrane and soluble proteins have been discussed. Finally, the complex biological functions of giant lipid vesicles reconstituted with various types of biomolecules has been communicated. These complex artificial cell models contribute to the production of minimal cells or protocells for generating valuable or rare biomolecules and communicating between living cells and artificial cell models.

scholarly journals The Usual Suspects 2019: of Chips, Droplets, Synthesis, and Artificial Cells

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Eilenberger ◽  
Sarah Spitz ◽  
Barbara Eva Maria Bachmann ◽  
Eva Kathrin Ehmoser ◽  
Peter Ertl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Microfluidic Systems ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
Reagent Consumption ◽  
On Chip

Synthetic biology aims to understand fundamental biological processes in more detail than possible for actual living cells. Synthetic biology can combat decomposition and build-up of artificial experimental models under precisely controlled and defined environmental and biochemical conditions. Microfluidic systems can provide the tools to improve and refine existing synthetic systems because they allow control and manipulation of liquids on a micro- and nanoscale. In addition, chip-based approaches are predisposed for synthetic biology applications since they present an opportune technological toolkit capable of fully automated high throughput and content screening under low reagent consumption. This review critically highlights the latest updates in microfluidic cell-free and cell-based protein synthesis as well as the progress on chip-based artificial cells. Even though progress is slow for microfluidic synthetic biology, microfluidic systems are valuable tools for synthetic biology and may one day help to give answers to long asked questions of fundamental cell biology and life itself.

scholarly journals From primal scenes to synthetic cells

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hub Zwart
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Fictional Narratives ◽  
Synthetic Cell ◽  
Synthetic Cells ◽  
Life Projects

Synthetic cells spark intriguing questions about the nature of life. Projects such as BaSyC (Building a Synthetic Cell) aim to build an entity that mimics how living cells work. But what kind of entity would a synthetic cell really be? I assess this question from a philosophical perspective, and show how early fictional narratives of artificial life – such as the laboratory scene in Goethe’s Faust – can help us to understand the challenges faced by synthetic biology researchers.

scholarly journals Functionalizing cell-mimetic giant vesicles with encapsulated bacterial biosensors

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 20180024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Trantidou ◽  
Linda Dekker ◽  
Karen Polizzi ◽  
Oscar Ces ◽  
Yuval Elani
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Giant Vesicles ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Genetically Engineered Microbes ◽  
Molecular Components ◽  
Cellular Components

The design of vesicle microsystems as artificial cells (bottom-up synthetic biology) has traditionally relied on the incorporation of molecular components to impart functionality. These cell mimics have reduced capabilities compared with their engineered biological counterparts (top-down synthetic biology), as they lack the powerful metabolic and regulatory pathways associated with living systems. There is increasing scope for using whole intact cellular components as functional modules within artificial cells, as a route to increase the capabilities of artificial cells. In this feasibility study, we design and embed genetically engineered microbes ( Escherichia coli ) in a vesicle-based cell mimic and use them as biosensing modules for real-time monitoring of lactate in the external environment. Using this conceptual framework, the functionality of other microbial devices can be conferred into vesicle microsystems in the future, bridging the gap between bottom-up and top-down synthetic biology.

scholarly journals Toward long-lasting artificial cells that better mimic natural living cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noël Yeh Martín ◽  
Luca Valer ◽  
Sheref S. Mansy
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Chemical Communication ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
Artificial Cell ◽  
Natural Living

Chemical communication is ubiquitous in biology, and so efforts in building convincing cellular mimics must consider how cells behave on a population level. Simple model systems have been built in the laboratory that show communication between different artificial cells and artificial cells with natural, living cells. Examples include artificial cells that depend on purely abiological components and artificial cells built from biological components and are driven by biological mechanisms. However, an artificial cell solely built to communicate chemically without carrying the machinery needed for self-preservation cannot remain active for long periods of time. What is needed is to begin integrating the pathways required for chemical communication with metabolic-like chemistry so that robust artificial systems can be built that better inform biology and aid in the generation of new technologies.

scholarly journals Modularize and Unite: Toward Creating a Functional Artificial Cell

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Wang ◽  
Junzhu Yang ◽  
Yuan Lu
Keyword(s):  
Applied Research ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Living System ◽  
Functional Modules ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Artificial Cells ◽  
The Past ◽  
Artificial Cell

An artificial cell is a simplified model of a living system, bringing breakthroughs into both basic life science and applied research. The bottom-up strategy instructs the construction of an artificial cell from nonliving materials, which could be complicated and interdisciplinary considering the inherent complexity of living cells. Although significant progress has been achieved in the past 2 decades, the area is still facing some problems, such as poor compatibility with complex bio-systems, instability, and low standardization of the construction method. In this review, we propose creating artificial cells through the integration of different functional modules. Furthermore, we divide the function requirements of an artificial cell into four essential parts (metabolism, energy supplement, proliferation, and communication) and discuss the present researches. Then we propose that the compartment and the reestablishment of the communication system would be essential for the reasonable integration of functional modules. Although enormous challenges remain, the modular construction would facilitate the simplification and standardization of an artificial cell toward a natural living system. This function-based strategy would also broaden the application of artificial cells and represent the steps of imitating and surpassing nature.

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