To date, multiple mechanisms have been described for the growth and division of model protocells, all of which exploit the lipid dynamics of fatty acids. In some examples, the more heterogeneous aggregate consisting of fatty acid and diacyl phospholipid or fatty acid and peptide grows at the expense of the more homogeneous aggregate containing a restricted set of lipids with similar dynamics. Imbalances between surface area and volume during growth can generate filamentous vesicles, which are typically divided by shear forces. Here, we describe another pathway for growth and division that depends simply on differences in the compositions of fatty acid membranes without additional components. Growth is driven by the thermodynamically favorable mixing of lipids between two populations, i.e., the system as a whole proceeds toward equilibrium. Division is the result of growth-induced curvature. Importantly, growth and division do not require a specific composition of lipids. For example, vesicles made from one type of lipid, e.g., short-chain fatty acids, grow and divide when fed with vesicles consisting of another type of lipid, e.g., long-chain fatty acids, and vice versa. After equilibration, additional rounds of growth and division could potentially proceed by the introduction of compositionally distinct aggregates. Since prebiotic synthesis likely gave rise to mixtures of lipids, the data are consistent with the presence of growing and dividing protocells on the prebiotic Earth.

Population-Level Membrane Diversity Triggers Growth and Division of Protocells / Toparlak, O. D.; Wang, A.; Mansy, S. S.. - In: JACS AU. - ISSN 2691-3704. - ELETTRONICO. - 2021/1:5(2021), pp. 560-568. [10.1021/jacsau.0c00079]

Population-Level Membrane Diversity Triggers Growth and Division of Protocells

Toparlak O. D.;Mansy S. S.
2021-01-01

Abstract

To date, multiple mechanisms have been described for the growth and division of model protocells, all of which exploit the lipid dynamics of fatty acids. In some examples, the more heterogeneous aggregate consisting of fatty acid and diacyl phospholipid or fatty acid and peptide grows at the expense of the more homogeneous aggregate containing a restricted set of lipids with similar dynamics. Imbalances between surface area and volume during growth can generate filamentous vesicles, which are typically divided by shear forces. Here, we describe another pathway for growth and division that depends simply on differences in the compositions of fatty acid membranes without additional components. Growth is driven by the thermodynamically favorable mixing of lipids between two populations, i.e., the system as a whole proceeds toward equilibrium. Division is the result of growth-induced curvature. Importantly, growth and division do not require a specific composition of lipids. For example, vesicles made from one type of lipid, e.g., short-chain fatty acids, grow and divide when fed with vesicles consisting of another type of lipid, e.g., long-chain fatty acids, and vice versa. After equilibration, additional rounds of growth and division could potentially proceed by the introduction of compositionally distinct aggregates. Since prebiotic synthesis likely gave rise to mixtures of lipids, the data are consistent with the presence of growing and dividing protocells on the prebiotic Earth.
2021
5
Toparlak, O. D.; Wang, A.; Mansy, S. S.
Population-Level Membrane Diversity Triggers Growth and Division of Protocells / Toparlak, O. D.; Wang, A.; Mansy, S. S.. - In: JACS AU. - ISSN 2691-3704. - ELETTRONICO. - 2021/1:5(2021), pp. 560-568. [10.1021/jacsau.0c00079]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
jacsau.0c00079.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 3.39 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
3.39 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/304098
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 3
  • Scopus 19
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 16
social impact