CAREER: Aqueous Multiphase Assembly of Membraneless Synthetic Cell Structures: Research, Education and Outreach

细胞间相互沟通，组织维持生命的反应。合成细胞还需要能够进行交流，以显示有用的特性，比如感知其他生物体，并以特定的方式对外部信号做出反应。这些线索可能是小分子，也可能是蛋白质、RNA或DNA。该项目将探索使用生物启发的多相水相系统来创造合成的无膜细胞，以表达和显示信使蛋白，并使用蛋白质信号进行交流。该项目还将支持美洲原住民学生的培训和教育。与纳瓦霍技术大学（NTU）合作，将为NTU学生提供跨机构合成生物学课程和资助的新墨西哥大学暑期研究实习。该项目旨在创建水相多相无膜合成细胞系统，该系统能够通过在发送和接收合成细胞之间交换表达的蛋白质信使来进行化学通信。这些概念的测试将在无细胞蛋白质合成系统中进行。转录和翻译试剂将诱导荧光信使蛋白在发送细胞中合成并转移到接收细胞。成功将提供一个原理证明，即由遗传编码生物材料启用的热力学控制机制可以驱动无膜合成细胞之间的化学通讯。设计规则控制信号和生物活性在层次，水多相系统将开发。无膜合成细胞可用于生产生物分子、传递药物、监测环境或增强组织工程。该项目由英国生物工程学院的细胞和生物化学工程项目以及促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Cells communicate between compartments to organize the reactions that support life. Synthetic cells also need to be able to communicate in order to exhibit useful traits, such as sensing other organisms and responding to external cues in specific ways. The cues might be small molecules, or they might be proteins, RNA, or DNA. This project will explore using bioinspired aqueous multiphase systems to create synthetic membraneless cells programmed to express and display messenger proteins, and communicate using protein signals. The project will also support training and education of Native American students. A partnership with Navajo Technical University (NTU) will deliver a cross-institutional synthetic biology course and a funded UNM summer research internship for NTU students. This project aims to create aqueous multiphase membrane free synthetic cell systems capable of chemical communication by exchange of an expressed protein messenger between sending and receiving synthetic cells. Testing of these concepts will take place in a cell-free protein synthesis system. Transcription and translation reagents will induce synthesis of a fluorescent messenger protein in sender cells and transferred to receiver cells. Success will provide a proof-of-principle that thermodynamic control mechanisms enabled by genetically encoded biomaterials can drive chemical communication between membraneless synthetic cells. Design rules for control of signaling and biological activity within hierarchical, aqueous multiple phase systems will be developed. Membrane free synthetic cells could be used to produce biomolecules, deliver drugs, monitor the environment, or enhance tissue engineering.This project is jointly funded by the Cellular and Biochemical Engineering Program in ENG/CBET and by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.