Sprecher
Beschreibung
Engineering synthetic cells from non-living components allows us to explore and reimagine cellular functions beyond what we observe in natural systems. As the capabilities of individual synthetic cells are still limited, quick and reliable transmission of signals could help to distribute tasks, just like the division of labor between cells in multicellular organisms. In this talk, I will present our efforts in engineering communication and the formation of spatiotemporal patterns in communities of synthetic cells. For this purpose, we developed synthetic cells with porous membranes that communicate through diffusive RNA and protein signals to influence gene expression in their neighbors. Cell mimics can be assembled into large diffusively connected two-dimensional communities, and perfused with fresh reagents to maintain non-equilibrium conditions. Using this system, we demonstrated signal transmission through a trigger wave of gene expression that, upon local activation of an autocatalytic gene circuit, propagates several millimeters, across thousands of cell mimics.
