RT Journal Article
T1 Dendritic Membranized Coacervate Microdroplets: A Robust Platform for Synthetic-Living Cell Consortia
A1 Jiménez López, Celia
A1 García Abuín, Lucas
A1 Fernández Megía, Eduardo
K1 Carbohydrates
K1 Cells
K1 Dendrons
K1 Fluorescence
K1 Peptides and proteins
AB Bottom-up synthetic biology seeks to construct artificial cells with biomimetic or novel functionalities to uncover the fundamental principles of cellular evolution and drive advances in medicine and bioengineering. Among them, membranized coacervate microdroplets (MCM) uniquely combine a molecularly crowded aqueous interior with a surrounding membrane, both hallmarks of eukaryotic cells. Replicating cellular functions requires synthetic cells to remain structurally stable in biological environments, where ionic strength presents a significant threat to the integrity of complex coacervates. By leveraging the globular and rigid architecture of dendrimers, MCM, composed of oppositely charged small dendrimers and polypeptides─further stabilized by a charged PEG-dendritic copolymer assembled at the periphery─exhibits a critical salt concentration more than twice that of coacervates formed from polypeptides or branched polyelectrolytes with significantly higher degrees of polymerization. This highlights the enhanced robustness of dendritic MCM under physiological conditions and their suitability as synthetic cells in biological media. By mimicking key cell-like behavior such as efficient enzyme encapsulation (irrespective of the isoelectric point), fast internal dynamics, and chemical communication, dendritic MCM emerge as a promising synthetic cell platform for the selective delivery of therapeutic enzymes. In addition, their ability to engage in signal transduction pathways within synthetic-natural cell consortia, enabling responses to extracellular cues via chemical signaling, paves their way in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
PB ACS
SN 0002-7863
YR 2025
FD 2025-08-02
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43059
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43059
LA eng
NO Jimenez-Lopez, C., Garcia-Abuin, L., & Fernandez-Megia, E. (2025). Dendritic Membranized Coacervate Microdroplets: A Robust Platform for Synthetic-Living Cell Consortia. “Journal of the American Chemical Society”, 147(32), 29457–29467. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c09772
NO This work was supported by grants PID2021-127684OB-I00 and PID2024-162826OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF “A way of making Europe”. The authors also thank financial support from Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2022/21, and Centro de Investigación do Sistema Universitario de Galicia accreditation 2023-2027, ED431G 2023/03) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund - ERDF).
DS Minerva
RD 23 abr 2026