中国微生物学会第十二届地质微生物学学术研讨会

Coacervate-based protocells are minimal system to mimic certain properties of natural cells and are used to research the emergence of life from a nonliving chemical network. Construction of protocells with hierarchical structures and living functions is still a great challenge. In this work, we develop a novel coacervate-based protocell composed of single-stranded oligonucleotides (ss-oligo), quaternized dextran (Q-dextran) and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Utilizing the peroxidase-like activity inherent in natural pyrite, TMB undergoes oxidation to its oxidized form (TMBox), inducing the transition of initially single-phase droplets into multiphase ones. The resulting multiphase droplet comprises an internal TMBox/ss-oligo phase and a surrounding Q-dextran/ss-oligo phase, facilitating the sequestration and partitioning of biomolecules into discrete regions. Notably, these droplets exhibit stability in their internal subcompartments during fusion, showing their potential as dynamic and functional models in synthetic biology and biotechnology applications. When the droplet is exposed to reducing agent such as glutathione, the surrounding Q-dextran/ss-oligo phase will be gradually dissociated, resulting in the chaotic movement and fusion of internal subcompartments. Our study emphasizes that the catalytic activity of minerals may serve as a potential strategy for constructing hierarchically structured protocells that resemble the morphology and functions of living cells. This finding represents a significant step toward enhancing our understanding of the transition mechanism from non-living to living matter under prebiotic conditions.

矿物的催化活性；原始细胞；多级结构