Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth
Abstract
We report on the design and synthesis of an artificial cell membrane that sustains continual growth. Lipid membranes are ubiquitous in all domains of life. Numerous studies have exploited the ability of lipids to self-assemble into bilayer vesicles with properties reminiscent of cellular membranes, but previous work has yet to mimic nature’s ability to support persistent phospholipid membrane formation. In this work, we have developed an artificial cell membrane that continually synthesizes all of the components needed to form additional catalytic membranes. These results demonstrate that complex lipid membranes capable of indefinite self-synthesis can emerge when supplied with simpler chemical building blocks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 22, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1506704112
Entities
People
- Christian M. Cole
- Jangir Selimkhanov
- Jun Yang
- Lev S Tsimring
- Michael D. Hardy
- Neal Devaraj
Organizations
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- United States Department of Defense
- University of California, San Diego