Cyborg Cage
British biologists have placed a living cell in an artificial one
Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science
A living cell, hidden inside an artificial one, can perform all the necessary functions, while it remains protected from the external environment, and scientists can precisely control it by regulating the operation of the synthetic part of such a "microfactory". The creators of this system believe that such solutions can be used everywhere, from biosynthesis and drug delivery to the creation of "green" batteries based on photosynthetic bacteria.
The group of British professor Oscar Ces presented its development in an article published by the journal Scientific Reports (Elani et al., Constructing vesicle-based artificial cells with embedded living cells as organelle-like modules). "Living cells are capable of performing incredibly complex functions, but they can be very difficult to control," Professor Sis said in an interview with the press service of Imperial College London (Artificial and biological cells work together as mini chemical factories). "Artificial cells are much easier to program, but we can't create them complex enough yet." The new system tries to fill this gap: an artificial cell surrounds a biological one, providing protection and control.
To do this, scientists have designed an installation from a series of microchannels and capillaries. Microscopic droplets of hydrophobic oil filled with cells were formed in it (Escherichia coli cells, as well as isolated lymphocytes and human carcinoma cells were used in various variants) and individual enzymes. Then the drops were covered with an additional stabilizing layer of lipids.
The experimental system contained components for the implementation of a demonstration reaction: living cells converted lactose into glucose, which was immediately oxidized by glucose oxidase molecules placed next to them inside an artificial bubble. At the same time, hydrogen peroxide was released, which "picked up" the next enzyme, horseradish peroxidase, starting a reaction with the pigment and causing its fluorescence.
On the left – a schematic representation of the system; on the right – the biochemical processes implemented in it / ©Elani et al., 2018
Having tested such a system in a solution with a high content of copper, toxic to living organisms, scientists were convinced that the system continues to work and fluoresces, which means that the cells remained in a normal state under the protection of an artificial shell. In the future, it can hide them from the attack of the body's immune system, and such systems will be able to synthesize medicine right in the right part of the body. However, the prospects of its application are far from limited to this, and for now scientists plan to improve the artificial membrane, achieving greater control over everything that happens inside the "half-dead" bubble.
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