Coupling between Deformations of Vesicle and Chemical Stimuli: Approach from Soft Matter toward Cellular Life

我们研究了化学刺激引发的囊泡变形，以揭示从囊泡（脂质分子组装）到细胞生命的途径。首先，我们建立了一种实验技术来检测化学刺激引发的囊泡变形，然后揭示了pH梯度诱导管状膜形成的机制。此外，我们发现，化学刺激驱动囊泡向化学源，所谓的化学电泳。这些观察结果清楚地表明，化学刺激在囊泡发育成细胞生命过程中起着重要作用。此外，我们成功地利用二元囊泡复制了一个自我生产的囊泡，这为原细胞的途径提供了线索。

We have investigated vesicle deformations triggered by chemical stimuli to reveal the pathway from vesicles (molecular assemblies of lipids) to cellular life. First we established an experimental technique to examine vesicle deformation triggered by the chemical stimuli and then revealed a mechanism of a tubular membrane formation induced by pH gradient. In addition we found that chemical stimuli drive vesicles toward the chemical source, so-called chemophoresis. These observations clearly show that the chemical stimuli play important roles to develop cellular life from vesicle. In addition we succeeded to reproduce a self-production of vesicle using binary vesicles, which shed light on the pathway toward the protopcell.