A cell on a chip
To live, grow and divide, cells use many different enzymes that catalyze sequential reactions. Given the complexity of these processes, it is impossible to determine exactly when, which enzymes and in what concentrations are present in a living cell, as well as what are their optimal proportions relative to each other. Researchers need artificial systems of small size as models to study these processes.
Close resemblance to living cells
A group of researchers from the University of Basel, led by Professors Cornelia Palivan and Wolfgang Meyer, has developed a new strategy for the production of such artificial systems. They described how they created various mini–containers - vesicles, which are cell models.
Unlike previous models, this system is not based on self-assembly of bubbles. The new effective microfluidic technology allows you to control the production process of vesicles loaded with enzymes and adjust their size and composition so that various biochemical reactions can occur inside the vesicles without affecting each other – as in different parts of the cell.
The researchers injected various components into channels on a silicone chip. All microchannels are combined into one. If the correct settings are set, the device outputs an aqueous emulsion of polymer droplets of the same size, which are formed at the intersection of microchannels.
Three types of vesicles of the same size, but with different contents: β-galactosidase (red), glucose oxidase (green) and peroxidase (blue). Water-soluble enzymes gradually transform the starting material into the final colored product resorufin, which, like all intermediates, exits into the surrounding solution through selective channels in vesicle membranes.
Precise control
This method provides key advantages: it allows you to produce vesicles of individual design and precisely regulate the desired combination of enzymes inside. Proteins included in the membrane act as pores and provide selective transport of compounds into and out of vesicles. The pore sizes are designed to allow only certain molecules to pass through, which makes it possible to separately investigate specific cellular processes that play a role in metabolic diseases or affect the reaction of certain drugs in the body.
Article by E.C.Santos et al. The combinatorial strategy for studying biochemical pathways in double emulsion templated cell-sized compartment is published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Basel: An artificial cell on a chip.