cell-free-protein-synthesis-system-for-building-synthetic-cells

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System for Building Synthetic Cells

The Cell-Free Protein Synthesis (CFPS) system has been widely employed to facilitate the bottom-up assembly of synthetic cells. It serves as the host for ...

Jiangsu Normal University

Skin is an important innate immune organ in fish; however, little is known about the skin's immune response to infectious pathogens. We conducted a comparative analysis of the acute immune response of Zebrafish Danio rerio skin against gram-positive (Staphylococcus chromogenes) and gram-negative (Citrobacter freundii) bacterial infections. Gene expression profiles induced from the two different infections were identified by microarray hybridization, with many genes demonstrating an acute immune response in the skin. Differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in response to stress and stimulus, complement activation, acute-phase response, and defense and immune response. Compared with transcription patterns of skin from the two infections, a similar innate immunity (e.g., transferrin, coagulation factor, complements, and lectins) was observed but with different acute-phase genes (e.g., ceruloplasmin, alpha-1-microglobulin, vitellogenin, and heat shock protein). These results suggest that the skin of fish plays an important role in the innate immune responses to bacterial infection.

Comparative analysis of the acute response of zebrafish Danio rerio skin to two different bacterial infections.

Despite the physiological significance of effective CO diffusion across biological membranes, the underlying mechanism behind this process is not yet resolved. Particularly debatable is the existence of CO-permeable aquaporins. The lipophilic characteristic of CO should, according to Overton's rule, result in a rapid flux across lipid bilayers. However, experimental evidence of limited membrane permeability poses a challenge to this idea of free diffusion. In this review, we summarized recent progress with regard to CO diffusion, and discussed the physiological effects of altered aquaporin expression, the molecular mechanisms of CO transport via aquaporins, and the function of sterols and other membrane proteins in CO permeability. In addition, we highlight the existing limits in measuring CO permeability and end up with perspectives on resolving such argument either by determining the atomic resolution structure of CO permeable aquaporins or by developing new methods for measuring permeability.

Aquaporins and CO diffusion across biological membrane.

Technical advances in biotechnology have greatly accelerated the development of bottom-up synthetic biology. Unlike top-down approaches, bottom-up synthetic biology focuses on the construction of a minimal cell from scratch and the application of these principles to solve challenges. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems provide minimal machinery for transcription and translation, from either a fractionated cell lysate or individual purified protein elements, thus speeding up the development of synthetic cell projects. In this review, we trace the history of the cell-free technique back to the first in vitro fermentation experiment using yeast cell lysate. Furthermore, we summarized progresses of individual cell mimicry modules, such as compartmentalization, gene expression regulation, energy regeneration and metabolism, growth and division, communication, and motility. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives on the field are outlined.

Lulu Shen

School of Life Sciences

Jiangsu Normal University

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System for Building Synthetic Cells

Lulu Shen

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Jiangsu Normal University

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System for Building Synthetic Cells

School of Life Sciences