Self-replicating artificial cells a step closer thanks to synthetic membrane

An artificial membrane that accommodates key proteins utilized in cell division may at some point assist synthetic cells replicate themselves
Technology
30 Could 2022
Proteins concerned in cell division assemble themselves within the synthetic membrane Wagner et al. Fig 6. Superior Supplies/Wiley-VCH GmbH
A synthetic cell membrane with equipment for cell division is a key step in the direction of constructing an artificial cell from the bottom-up with the flexibility to duplicate itself.
Artificial cell membranes now being constructed within the lab have most of the properties of actual cell membranes, however they’ve lacked a “divisome”, a bunch of proteins liable for contorting the cell’s membrane into hourglass-like shapes to organize for division.
Now, César Rodriguez-Emmenegger on the Leibniz Institute for Interactive …