Coacervate Formed by an ATP-Binding Aptamer and Its Dynamic Behavior under Nonequilibrium Conditions

Although numerous protocell models have been developed to explore the possible pathway of the origin of life on the early earth, few truly fulfill the roles of the DNA/RNA sequence and ATP molecules, which are keys to cell replication and evolution. The ATP-binding aptamer offers an opportunity to c...

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Veröffentlicht in:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. - 1992. - 38(2022), 20 vom: 24. Mai, Seite 6425-6434
1. Verfasser: Liu, Zhijun (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Chen, Jiaxin, Bai, Qingwen, Lin, Ya-Nan, Liang, Dehai
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2022
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Schlagworte:Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Oligonucleotides Adenosine Triphosphate 8L70Q75FXE
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Although numerous protocell models have been developed to explore the possible pathway of the origin of life on the early earth, few truly fulfill the roles of the DNA/RNA sequence and ATP molecules, which are keys to cell replication and evolution. The ATP-binding aptamer offers an opportunity to combine sequence and energy molecules. In this work, we choose the coacervate droplet as the protocell model and investigate the interaction of the DNA aptamer, poly(l-lysine)(PLL), and ATP under varying conditions. PLL and aptamers form solid precipitates, which spontaneously transform to coacervate droplets as ATP is introduced. The selective uptake and sequestration of exogenous molecules is achieved by the ATP-containing coacervates. As an electric field is applied to expel ATP, the portion of the droplet deficient in ATP becomes solid. The solid/liquid phase ratio is tunable by varying the electric field strength and excitation time. Together with the vacuolization process, a solid head with a soft mouth periodically opening and closing is created. Moreover, the composite coacervate droplet gradually grows as it is treated with an electric field and cannot recover to the original liquid phase after the power is turned off and replenished with ATP. Our work highlights that the proper integration of the DNA sequence, ATP, and energy input could be a powerful strategy for creating a protocell with certain living features
Beschreibung:Date Completed 25.05.2022
Date Revised 03.08.2022
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status MEDLINE
ISSN:1520-5827
DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00580