Does DNA Exert an Active Role in Generating Cell-Sized Spheres in an Aqueous Solution with a Crowding Binary Polymer?

Life

Kanta Tsumoto¹  Masafumi Arai³  Naoki Nakatani³  Shun N. Watanabe³  Kenichi Yoshikawa³  Fabio Mavelli² 

[1] Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, Mie, 514-8507, Japan; E-Mail:;Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, Mie, 514-8507, Japan; E-Mail;Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, 610-0394, Japan; E-Mails:

关键词: DNA;    dextran;    polyethylene glycol (PEG);    crowding;    aqueous two-phase system (ATPS);    optical tweezers;    microcompartment;    artificial cell model;   

DOI  :  10.3390/life5010459

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

We report the spontaneous generation of a cell-like morphology in an environment crowded with the polymers dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the presence of DNA. DNA molecules were selectively located in the interior of dextran-rich micro-droplets, when the composition of an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) was near the critical condition of phase-segregation. The resulting micro-droplets could be controlled by the use of optical tweezers. As an example of laser manipulation, the dynamic fusion of two droplets is reported, which resembles the process of cell division in time-reverse. A hypothetical scenario for the emergence of a primitive cell with DNA is briefly discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.