Research Projects

The study aims to construct artificial cells with cell-like functionalities through membrane compartmentalization. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) assembled from lipids into cell-sized membrane models are proposed as elementary units for bottom-up construction of artificial cells. The artificial cell will have a negative feedback loop for protein-synthesis, self-regulation of protein-synthesis through small vesicle (SUV) or nano compartments inside GUVs. In-vitro transcription-translation (IVTT) machinery will be employed for cell-free membrane protein-synthesis in the lumen of the GUV compartment. Synthesized membrane proteins will be reconstituted in SUV membranes, enabling content release encapsulated inside small vesicles. Translation inhibitory molecules like amino-glycosides inside SUV compartments will inhibit mRNA translation upon release in the GUV compartment once abundant protein is embedded in SUV membranes. The study also aims to mimic compartmentalized transcription and translation occurring inside cells by smart-engineering a temperature-sensitive giant vesicle or microcompartment inside a'mother' GUV to mimic the 'nucleus' in a cell for spatiotemporally controlled in-vitro transcription and translation. The compartmentalized systems generated will have significant applications in bottom-up biology and biotechnology.