Model Cytoplasm: From Fundamentals to Asymmetric Division of Cytomimetic Vesicles

该奖项由分析和表面化学项目颁发（由分子和细胞生物科学部细胞系统集群共同资助），支持宾夕法尼亚州立大学Christine Keating教授和她的团队基于生物相关聚合物和细胞内环境构建生物细胞模型。这项工作旨在揭示基本大分子化学在细胞内组织和生化微区室中的可能作用，探索这些简单的物理现象可能导致复杂的细胞行为，如分化和不对称繁殖的可能性。这是通过表征水蛋白和聚阴离子溶液作为合成细胞质，并通过使用这些新的聚合物系统来了解细胞极性和不对称细胞分裂的原始途径来实现的。潜在的长期影响包括设计针对细胞内组织关键方面的药物的可能性，作为基于酶活性位点的现有方法的补充。其他成果包括生物分离和在囊泡递送载体中包裹大分子药物（如蛋白质）方面的进展。学生在化学、材料科学和生物学的交叉领域接受培训，这一领域对美国未来的医学和环境科学越来越重要。(1)每年夏天接待一名K-12教师；(2)在夏季和学年期间让本科生参与研究，最早从大一开始；(3)与校园团体组织的现有拓展项目合作，包括面向高中女生的科学与工程女性（WISE）夏令营。

This award by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program (with co-funding from the Cellular Systems Cluster of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences) supports Professor Christine Keating and her group at Pennsylvania State University for constructing models of biological cells based on biologically relevant polymers and intracellular environments. The work aims to shed light on the possible role(s) of fundamental macromolecular chemistry in intracellular organization and biochemical microcompartmentation, exploring the possibility that these simple physical phenomena can lead to complex cellular behaviors such as differentiation and asymmetric reproduction. This is accomplished by characterizing aqueous protein and polyanion solutions as synthetic cytoplasms, and by using these new polymer systems to understand primitive routes to cell polarity and asymmetric cell division. Potential long-term implications include the possibility of designing drugs to target critical aspects of intracellular organization, as a complement to current methods based on enzyme active sites. Additional outcomes include advances in bioseparations and in the encapsulation of large drug molecules such as proteins in vesicle delivery vehicles. Students are trained at the interface of chemistry, materials science, and biology - an area of increasing importance for the future of medical and environmental science in the U.S. Outreach at the K-12 and undergraduate levels includes: (1) hosting a K-12 teacher each summer, (2) participation of undergraduate students in the research both during the summers and during the academic year, starting as early as the freshman level, and (3) partnering with existing outreach programs organized by on-campus groups including the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) summer camps for high school girls.