囊泡表面模板化催化聚合物驱动合成最小细胞变体的差异化生长
Vesicle-surface-templated catalytic polymers drive differential growth in synthetic minimal cell variants
中文总结 AI 辅助
本研究构建8种合成最小细胞变体，发现其生长响应由希尔动力学描述，揭示了受组成与两亲分子可用性调控的多维适应度景观，为可演化合成最小细胞提供物理化学途径。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
理解类生命行为如何从简单分子组装体和原始区室中涌现，仍是生命起源研究的核心挑战。合成最小细胞提供了自下而上的研究平台，可从头探究区室生长、繁殖与演化背后的最小物理化学原理。此前，我们开发了基于囊泡/聚合物的区室系统，其中囊泡膜可模板化催化聚合物的形成；该聚合物促进两亲分子选择性掺入囊泡膜，驱动囊泡生长，同时维持组成同一性，使其能历经数代自发变形与分裂。本文报告了将该系统拓展至繁殖之外的实验：通过组合两种模板囊泡、两种催化聚合物与两种供应的两亲分子，系统构建了8种合成最小细胞变体。这些变体展现出与组成相关的 distinct 囊泡生长响应，范围从显著生长到生长受抑或囊泡收缩。这些生长响应可通过希尔动力学描述，并由三个参数表征，揭示了由环境条件塑造的多维适应度景观，其中每种变体的相对优势取决于组成与两亲分子可用性。该框架将分子识别、组成遗传与差异化生长关联起来，为可演化合成最小细胞提供了一条物理化学途径。
英文摘要
Understanding how life-like behaviors can emerge from simple molecular assemblies and primitive compartments remains a central challenge in origins-of-life research. Synthetic minimal cells provide a bottom-up platform for investigating, from scratch, the minimal physicochemical principles underlying compartment growth, reproduction, and evolution. Previously, we developed a vesicle/polymer-based compartment system in which the vesicle membranes template the formation of a catalytic polymer. This polymer promotes selective incorporation of amphiphiles into the vesicle membrane, driving vesicle growth while maintaining the compositional identity and enabling spontaneous deformation and division over several generations. Here, we report about experiments in which we advanced this system beyond reproduction by systematically constructing eight synthetic minimal cell variants from combinations of two template vesicles, two catalytic polymers, and two supplied amphiphiles. The variants exhibited distinct, composition-dependent vesicle growth responses, ranging from pronounced growth to suppressed growth or vesicle shrinkage. These growth responses were described by the Hill kinetics and characterized by three parameters, revealing a multi-dimensional fitness landscape shaped by environmental conditions, in which the relative advantage of each variant depends on both composition and amphiphile availability. This framework links molecular recognition, compositional inheritance, and differential growth, providing a physicochemical route toward evolvable synthetic minimal cells.
