Dresden 2020 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 8: Poster I
BP 8.9: Poster
Monday, March 16, 2020, 17:30–19:30, P2/1OG
Protein-free synthetic cell division controlled by metabolic activity — •Yannik Dreher1,2 and Kerstin Göpfrich1,2 — 1Biophysical Engineering Group, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany — 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Here, we describe the protein-free division of giant unilamellar lipid vesicles (GUVs) based on the combination of two physical principles – phase separation and osmosis. We visualize the division process with confocal fluorescence microscopy and derive a conceptual model based on the vesicle geometry. The model successfully predicts the shape transformations over time as well as the time point of the final pinching of the daughter vesicles. Remarkably, we show that two fundamentally distinct yet highly abundant processes – water evaporation and metabolic activity – can both regulate the autonomous division of GUVs. Our work may hint towards mechanisms that governed the division of protocells and adds to the strategic toolbox of bottom-up synthetic biology with its vision of bringing matter to life.