Coupled Metabolic Cycles Allow Out‐of‐Equilibrium Autopoietic Vesicle Replication. (3rd September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Engwerda, Anthonius H. J.; Southworth, Josh; Lebedeva, Maria A.; Scanes, Robert J. H.; Kukura, Philipp; Fletcher, Stephen P.
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 132:Number 46(2020)
• Page Start: 20541
• Page End: 20546
• Publication Date: 2020-09-03
• Subjects: autocatalysis -- autopoiesis -- metabolic network -- out-of-equilibrium system -- vesicles; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.202007302
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: We report chemically fuelled out‐of‐equilibrium self‐replicating vesicles based on surfactant formation. We studied the vesicles' autocatalytic formation using UPLC to determine monomer concentration and interferometric scattering microscopy at the nanoparticle level. Unlike related reports of chemically fuelled self‐replicating micelles, our vesicular system was too stable to surfactant degradation to be maintained out of equilibrium. The introduction of a catalyst, which introduces a second catalytic cycle into the metabolic network, was used to close the first cycle. This shows how coupled catalytic cycles can create a metabolic network that allows the creation and perseverance of fuel‐driven, out‐of‐equilibrium self‐replicating vesicles. Abstract : Continuous addition of a chemical fuel allows for the autocatalytic formation of surfactant that aggregate into vesicles. These vesicles can be maintained out‐of‐equilibrium by adding a catabolic catalyst to introduce a second, coupled reaction cycle into the metabolic network.