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Hydrodynamic accumulation of small molecules and ions into cell-sized liposomes against a concentration gradient
Hydrodynamic accumulation of small molecules and ions into cell-sized liposomes against a concentration gradient
- Source :
- Communications Chemistry, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2020)
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020.
-
Abstract
- In investigations of the emergence of protocells at the origin of life, repeatable and continuous supply of molecules and ions into the closed lipid bilayer membrane (liposome) is one of the fundamental challenges. Demonstrating an abiotic process to accumulate substances into preformed liposomes against the concentration gradient can provide a clue. Here we show that, without proteins, cell-sized liposomes under hydrodynamic environment repeatedly permeate small molecules and ions, including an analogue of adenosine triphosphate, even against the concentration gradient. The mechanism underlying this accumulation of the molecules and ions is shown to involve their unique partitioning at the liposomal membrane under forced external flow in a constrained space. This abiotic mechanism to accumulate substances inside of the liposomal compartment without light could provide an energetically up-hill process for protocells as a critical step toward the contemporary cells. How small molecules could have accumulated within hypothetical protocells on the early Earth is an open question. Here automated microfluidic experiments provide evidence for abiotic accumulation of small molecules within cell-sized liposomes under hydrodynamic flow evoking a surface-mediated mechanism.
- Subjects :
- Protocell
0303 health sciences
Liposome
Chemistry
Microfluidics
General Chemistry
Permeation
010402 general chemistry
01 natural sciences
Biochemistry
Small molecule
0104 chemical sciences
lcsh:Chemistry
03 medical and health sciences
Membrane
lcsh:QD1-999
Materials Chemistry
Biophysics
Environmental Chemistry
Molecule
Lipid bilayer
030304 developmental biology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 23993669
- Volume :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Communications Chemistry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....85045642649ced1c6b0ee6d4bf86f76e
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-020-0277-2