Polymer cell imitates a living one
The world's first artificial functioning cells have been created,
made of synthetic polymers
DailyTechInfo based on Gizmag: World-first working eukaryotic cell made from plasticOver the past few years, chemists and biochemists have made significant progress in creating some types of synthetic tissues that are analogues of living cell tissues, in obtaining synthetic DNA and in creating other components from which self-reproducing synthetic living cells can be assembled.
And for the first time in the history of science, researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, have produced an artificial eukaryotic cell, a cell containing artificial organelles and biochemical reactions similar to those occurring in the cells of living organisms.
Eukaryotic cells are the basic "standard" blocks of all complex life forms, such as plants and animals. Their main difference from the cells of simpler and older life forms is the presence of organelles inside such cells, which are separate units that perform one or more specific functions. It is the presence of organoids that allows cells to reproduce a large number of different chemical reactions in conditions of extremely limited internal space of the cell.
The appearance of eukaryotic cells was one of the most important stages of the development of life on Earth in the earliest period of the existence of life on our planet. Eukaryotic cells are also a subject of increased interest from biochemists, since they are capable of simultaneously producing many different chemical reactions taking place on a very small scale, which is very difficult to implement at the level of laboratory facilities.
"Many competing groups of scientists work in the field of biology and biochemistry, they create various components of life forms, cell tissues, amino acids, DNA, etc. Some groups have already managed to synthesize the simplest living cells, but we went a little further and created a complex synthetic cell with organelles," says Professor Jan van Hest"Our next step will be to create a synthetic cell that will be able to provide itself with the necessary energy."
Creating a synthetic eukaryotic cell, the researchers used a droplet of water as a reactor. Tiny spheres of polystyrene-b filled with various enzymes and proteins were introduced into this water, thanks to which certain biochemical reactions take place in the bowels of the future cell. Then this tiny droplet of water was enclosed in a polymersome, a shell made of a more complex polymer material – polybutadiene-b-poly, which began to play the role of a cell membrane.
Diagram from the Radboud University press release: First plastic cell with working organelle – VM.
The whole structure created by scientists is very similar in structure to a eukaryotic cell of natural origin. Moreover, multi-stage chemical reactions began to take place inside this artificial structure, which completely repeat the entire path of protein and enzyme transformations in living cells. Using the phenomenon of fluorescence, scientists were able to trace the full path of the chain of chemical transformations occurring inside various parts of a synthetic cell, and this proved that they were able to create a polymer cell with functioning organelles.
"Now we are working on ways to control the movement of various chemical components within the cell from one organelle to another," says Professor van Hest, "Modeling the processes occurring in living cells will help us to better understand the features of their structure and these processes. And, in the end, everything will come to the point that we will make an artificial cell that is practically no different from a living cell of natural origin."
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