Nanotube-Mediated Path to Protocell Formation
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2019

Cellular compartments are membrane-enclosed, spatially distinct microenvironments that confine and protect biochemical reactions in the biological cell. On the early Earth, the autonomous formation of compartments is thought to have led to the encapsulation of nucleotides, thereby satisfying a starting condition for the emergence of life. Recently, surfaces have come into focus as potential platforms for the self-assembly of prebiotic compartments, as significantly enhanced vesicle formation was reported in the presence of solid interfaces. The detailed mechanism of such formation at the mesoscale is still under discussion. We report here on the spontaneous transformation of solid-surface-adhered lipid deposits to unilamellar membrane compartments through a straightforward sequence of topological changes, proceeding via a network of interconnected lipid nanotubes. We show that this transformation is entirely driven by surface-free energy minimization and does not require hydrolysis of organic molecules or external stimuli such as electrical currents or mechanical agitation. The vesicular structures take up and encapsulate their external environment during formation and can subsequently separate and migrate upon exposure to hydrodynamic flow. This may link the self-directed transition from weakly organized bioamphiphile assemblies on solid surfaces to protocells with secluded internal contents.

lipid nanotube

origin of life

biomembrane

protocell

interface

Författare

Elif Senem Köksal

Universitetet i Oslo

Susanne Liese

Universitetet i Oslo

Ilayda Kantarci

Universitetet i Oslo

Ragni Olsson

Universitetet i Oslo

Andreas Carlson

Universitetet i Oslo

Irep Gözen

Chalmers, Kemi och kemiteknik, Kemi och biokemi

Universitetet i Oslo

ACS Nano

1936-0851 (ISSN) 1936-086X (eISSN)

Vol. 13

Ämneskategorier

Fysikalisk kemi

Materialkemi

Biofysik

DOI

10.1021/acsnano.9b01646

PubMed

31177769

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2024-07-17