Attempts have been made to create 'completely artificial cells'

by University of Liverpool Faculty of Health & Life Sciences

Cells are the basic structure of living organisms, and cells cultured in laboratories are used for various research. In such circumstances, attempts are being made to create "completely artificial cells" that artificially created all elements, not cultured cells from organisms.

On the path to an artificial cell
https://phys.org/news/2018-06-path-artificial-cell.html

It is necessary to think about fundamental questions as to what is the requirement of "living cells" in order to produce artificial cells. Mr. Elvin Schrodinger, a theoretical physicist, briefly expressed "I eat, drink, breathe what I live". If we repurpose this in terms of biological terms, it means "being metabolized." Metabolism is not limited to animals such as humans and dogs, but metabolism is also indispensable for individual cells.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the University of Bordeaux in France are working together to create artificial cells. The research team took the first step to create artificial cells by creating a simple form of metabolic function "in a small environment isolated from the outside world".

Since each cell is covered with membranes and has an independent environment, the research team prepared small droplets made of water in the oil and used it as a substitute for cells separated from the surroundings. Researchers added different molecular compounds to this droplet and simulated metabolic reactions.

by Rebecca Siegel

At first glance, it may be hard to imagine that adding molecular compounds to droplets made of water will contribute to attempts to create living cells. However, Dr. Kai Sandmacher of the Max-Planck Institute says, "From a technical point of view, creating a system with this simplified metabolic function also helps to create more complex natural cells I will tell you.

Dr. Ivan Ivanov of the Max Planck Institute says, "From the idea of" to create a minimum system that reproduces the fundamental characteristics of cells, "an attempt to reproduce the metabolic system in droplets I started. " By reproducing the characteristics of the cells one by one, it is possible to clarify the mystery of "what is the minimum element required by an organism?"

Biologists usually do a variety of research by using already completed organisms and cells and decomposing and analyzing them. However, "When you look at the details of cells, there are many duplications and unnecessary elements in genetic material, which makes it difficult to ascertain the minimum elements that really are necessary," Mr. Ivanov said , This time it seems that you are about to approach the mystery of the cell by the bottom up approach.

by Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca VHIR

Researchers injected glucose-6-phosphate (GP6 1) as "nutrient" into the droplets and at the same time inject nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a cofactor that oxidizes GP6 1 and extracts scientific energy did. The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide takes two states, an oxidized form (NAD +) and a reduced form (NADH), oxidizes GP 6 1 in the state of NAD + to change to GP 6 2, and oxidizes GP 6 1 to NAD + It itself changes to reduced type NADH.

Since NAD + is also related to metabolism in actual cells, it is converted to NADH in the process of metabolic reaction, so this is an activity imitating the actual metabolic system. Researchers added a module to oxidize NADH in the droplet and create NAD + again to make the reaction closer to the actual cells, and it is said that NAD + necessary for metabolic activity does not disappear.

When the GP 6 1 in the droplet is exhausted, the activity in the droplet is finished and it goes to the sleep state. This model metabolism system has the basic features of natural metabolic function of living organisms but in order to fully reproduce the function similar to natural cells it is necessary to preserve the structure of the self and new cells It is necessary to have a mechanism to reproduce. The research team thinks that we need to continue further research in order to completely produce artificial cells.

by Ken Berean