NANOCELL

NANOCELL联盟的总体目标是设计可以组装成具有活细胞功能的人工膜结合囊泡的生物组件。这些纳米细胞将成为未来生物纳米技术应用的原型生化工厂。膜本身是最重要的组成部分。另一个重要的组成部分是F1 FO（ATP合成酶）。F1 FO可以被认为是两个反向连接的旋转电机。通常在自然界中，离子驱动的FO产生更多的扭矩，并迫使ATP驱动的F1反向，从而合成ATP，细胞的“能量货币”。该联盟（IP 4）的这一部分的一个目标是测试和表征纳米细胞中含有F1 FO的膜的功能，使用荧光方法，包括单纳米细胞荧光显微镜。F1 FO和其他膜蛋白组分也将在单分子水平上在液滴-水凝胶双层中进行测试和表征，这允许用高分辨率光学显微镜观察它们所包含的大平面膜和膜蛋白。IP 4的最终目标是使用一个或两个F1 FO旋转电机来驱动螺旋桨，使纳米细胞能够在自己的动力下移动。IP 4实验室是研究细菌鞭毛马达的世界领导者之一，该马达在有鞭毛的细菌中起着相同的作用，并将利用这一专业知识指导纳米细胞游泳模块的开发。

The overall goal of the NANOCELL consortium is to engineer biological components that can be assembled into artificial membrane-bound vesicles that have some of the functions of living cells. These NANOCELLS will be prototype biochemical factories for future applications in bio-nanotechnology. The membrane itself is the most important component. Another important component is F1FO (ATP-synthase). F1FO can be thought of as two rotary motors connected in opposition. Normally in nature the ion-driven FO generates more torque, and forces the ATP-driven F1 in reverse, thereby synthesizing ATP, the 'energy currency' of the cell. One goal of this part of the consortium (IP4) is to test and characterize the function of membranes containing F1FO in NANOCELLS, using fluorescence methods including single-NANOCELL fluorescence microscopy. F1FO and other membrane protein components will also be tested and characterized at the single-molecule level in droplet-on-hydrogel bilayers, which allow large planar membranes and membrane proteins that they contain to be observed with high-resolution optical microscopy. The final goal of IP4 is to use one or both of the F1FO rotary motors to drive a propeller that will allow NANOCELLS to move under their own power. The lab of IP4 is one of the world leaders in the study of the bacterial flagellar motor, which performs the same role in flagellated bacteria, and will use this expertise to guide the development of a swimming module for NANOCELLS.