The authors thank Aditya Iyer for the cloning of the pBAD-PercevalHR gene and Gea Schuurman-Wolters for aiding with protein production and purification. The research was funded by the NWO Gravitation program &#34;Building a Synthetic Cell&#34; (BaSyC).

Lipid Vesicle Encapsulation Protocol for Complex Protein Networks

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The authors declare no competing financial interest.

We present a protocol for the synthesis of (membrane) protein containing sub-micrometer size lipid vesicles (proteoLUVs), and the conversion of proteoLUVs into giant-unilamellar vesicles (proteoGUVs). The protocol should be applicable for the reconstitution of other membrane proteins13,19,30,40 and the encapsulation of metabolic networks other than the L-arginine breakdown and glycerol 3-phosph...

The field of bottom-up synthetic biology focuses on constructing (minimal) cells1,2 and metabolic bioreactors for biotechnological3,4 or biomedical purposes5,6,7,8. The construction of synthetic cells provides a unique platform that allows researchers to study (membrane) proteins in well-defined conditions mimicking those of native environments, enabling the discovery of emergent properties and concealed biochemical functions of proteins and reaction networks9. As an intermediate step towards an autonomously functioning synthetic cell, modules are developed that capture essential features of living cells such as metabolic energy conservation, protein and lipid synthesis, and homeostasis. Such modules not only enhance our understanding of life but also have potential applications in the fields of medicine8 and biotechnology10.
Transmembrane proteins are at the heart of virtually any metabolic network as they transport molecules in or out of the cell, signal, and respond to the quality of the environment, and play numerous biosynthetic roles. Thus, the engineering of metabolic modules in synthetic cells requires in most cases the reconstitution of integral and/or peripheral membrane proteins into a membrane bilayer composed of specific lipids and high integrity (low permeability). The handling of these membrane proteins is challenging and requires specific knowledge and experimental skills.
Several methods have been developed to reconstitute membrane proteins within phospholipid vesicles, most often with the purpose of studying the function11,12, regulation13, kinetic properties14,15, lipid dependence15,16, and/or stability17 of a specific protein. These methods involve the rapid dilution of detergent-solubilized protein into aqueous media in the presence of lipids18, the removal of detergents by incubating detergent-solubilized protein with detergent-destabilized lipid vesicles and absorption of the detergent(s) onto polystyrene beads19, or the removal of detergents by dialysis or size-exclusion chromatography20. Organic solvents have been used to form lipid vesicles, for example, via the formation of oil-water interphases21, but the majority of integral membrane proteins are inactivated when exposed to such solvents.
In our laboratory, we mostly reconstitute membrane proteins by the detergent-absorption method to form large-unilamellar vesicles (LUVs)19. This method allows the co-reconstitution of multiple membrane proteins and the encapsulation in the vesicle lumen of enzymes, metabolites, and probes22,23. The membrane protein-containing LUVs can be converted into giant-unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with/without encapsulation of water-soluble components, using either electroformation24 or gel-assisted swelling25 and specific conditions to preserve the integrity of the membrane proteins26.
This paper presents a protocol for the reconstitution in LUVs of an out-of-equilibrium metabolic network that regenerates ATP through the breakdown of L-arginine into L-ornithine27. The formation of ATP is coupled to the production of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), an important building block for phospholipid synthesis22,28. The metabolic pathway consists of two integral membrane proteins, an arginine/ornithine (ArcD) and a G3P/Pi antiporter (GlpT). In addition, three soluble enzymes (ArcA, ArcB, ArcC) are required for the recycling of ATP, and GlpK is used to convert glycerol into glycerol 3-phosphate, using the ATP from the breakdown of L-arginine, see Figure 1 for a schematic overview of the pathway. This protocol represents a good starting point for the future construction of even more complex reaction networks-for the synthesis of lipids or proteins or the division of cells. The lipid composition of the vesicles supports the activity of a wide variety of integral membrane proteins and has been optimized for the transport of diverse molecules into or out of the vesicles27,29,30.
<img alt="Figure 1" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig01v2.jpg" /> 
Figure 1: Overview of the pathway for ATP production and glycerol 3-phosphate synthesis and excretion. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig01large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
In short, purified membrane proteins (solubilized in dodecyl-&#946;-D-maltoside, DDM) are added to preformed lipid vesicles that have been destabilized with Triton X-100, which allows the insertion of the proteins into the membrane. The detergent molecules are subsequently (slowly) removed by the addition of activated polystyrene beads, resulting in the formation of well-sealed proteoliposomes. Soluble components can then be added to the vesicles and encapsulated via freeze-thaw cycles, which traps the molecules in the process of membrane fusion. The obtained vesicles are highly heterogeneous and many are multilamellar. They are then extruded through a polycarbonate filter with a pore size of 400, 200, or 100 nm, which yields more uniformly sized vesicles; the smaller the pore size, the more homogeneous and unilamellar the vesicles but at the price of a smaller internal volume. Non-incorporated proteins and small molecules are removed from the external solution by size-exclusion chromatography. The proteoLUVs can be converted into micrometer size vesicles by gel-assisted swelling, and these proteoGUVs are then collected and trapped in a microfluidic chip for microscopic characterization and manipulation. Figure 2 shows a schematic overview of the full protocol.
<img alt="Figure 2" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig02v2.jpg" /> 
Figure 2: Overview of the protocol for reconstituting membrane proteins and encapsulating enzymes and water-soluble components in lipid vesicles of sub-micrometer (LUVs) and micrometer size (GUVs). <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig02large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
The reconstitution and encapsulation protocols work well and the functionality of the proteins is retained, but the proteoLUVs and proteoGUVs are heterogeneous in size. Microfluidic approaches31,32 allow the formation of micrometer-sized vesicles that are more homogeneous in size, but functional reconstitution of membrane proteins is generally not possible because residual solvent in the bilayer inactivates the proteins. The proteoLUVs range in size from 100 to 400 nm, and at low concentrations of enzymes, the encapsulation may lead to vesicles with incomplete metabolic pathways (stochastic effects; see Figure 3). LUVs are ideal for constructing specific metabolic modules, as shown here for the production of ATP and building blocks like G3P. Such proteoLUVs can potentially be encapsulated in GUVs and serve as organelle-like compartments for the host vesicles.
<img alt="Figure 3" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig03v2.jpg" /> 
Figure 3: Number of molecules per vesicle with a diameter of 100, 200, or 400 nm. (A) When the encapsulated proteins (enzymes, probes) are in the range of 1-10 &#181;M. (B) The reconstitution is done at 1 to 1,000, 1 to 10,000, and 1 to 100,000 membrane proteins per lipid (mol/mol). We make the assumption that molecules are encapsulated at the indicated concentrations and incorporated in the membrane at these protein-to-lipid ratios. For some enzymes, we have seen that they bind to membranes, which can increase their apparent concentration in the vesicles. Abbreviation: LPR = Lipid-Protein-Ratio <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/66627/66627fig03large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>

<table><tbody><tr><td>Agarose</td><td>Sigma Aldrich</td><td>A9414-25g</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Amicon cut-off filter</td><td>Sigma Aldrich</td><td>Milipore centrifugal filter units Amicon Ultra&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>BioBeads</td><td>BioRad</td><td>152-3920</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CHCl&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;</td><td>Macron Fine Chemicals</td><td>MFCD00000826</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>D(+)-Glucose</td><td>Formedium</td><td>-</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>D(+)-Sucrose</td><td>Formedium</td><td>-</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DDM</td><td>Glycon</td><td>D97002 -C</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Diethyl Ether</td><td>Biosolve</td><td>52805</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DMSO</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>276855-100ml</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DOPC</td><td>Avanti</td><td>850375P-1g</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DOPE</td><td>Avanti</td><td>850725P-1g</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DOPG</td><td>Avanti</td><td>840475P-1g</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DTT</td><td>Formedium&amp;nbsp;</td><td>DTT005</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>EtOH</td><td>J.T.Baker Avantor</td><td>MFCD00003568</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Extruder</td><td>Avestin Inc</td><td>LF-1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fluorimeter</td><td>Jasco</td><td>Spectrofluorometer FP-8300</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Glycerol</td><td>BOOM</td><td>51171608</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gravity flow column</td><td>Bio-Rad</td><td>732-1010</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hamilton syringe 100 &amp;micro;L</td><td>Hamilton</td><td>7656-01</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hamilton syringe 1000 &amp;micro;L</td><td>Hamilton</td><td>81320</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Handheld LCP dispenser</td><td>Art Robbins Instruments</td><td>620-411-00</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Handheld Sonicator</td><td>Hielscher Ultrasound Technology</td><td>UP50H</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>HCl</td><td>BOOM</td><td>x76021889.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Imidazole</td><td>Roth</td><td>X998.4-250g</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;HPO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;</td><td>Supelco</td><td>1.05099.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>KCl</td><td>BOOM</td><td>76028270.1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>KH&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;</td><td>Supelco</td><td>1.04873.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kimwipe</td><td>Kimtech Science</td><td>7552</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Large Falcon tube centrifuge</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>Centrifuge 5810 R</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>L-Arginine</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>A5006-100G</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Light microscope</td><td>Leica</td><td>DM LS2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>L-Ornithine</td><td>Roth</td><td>T204.1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>LSM Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope</td><td>Zeiss</td><td>LSM 710 ConfoCor 3</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>MgCl&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>M2670-1KG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Microfluidic chip</td><td>Homemade&amp;nbsp;</td><td>PDMS based</td><td>DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC01275J</td></tr><tr><td>Na-ADP</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>A2754-1G</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>NaCl</td><td>Supelco</td><td>1.06404.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Nanodrop Spectrometer</td><td>Isogen Life Science</td><td>ND-1000 spectrophotometer NanoDrop</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>NaOH</td><td>Supelco</td><td>1.06498.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Needles for GUVs</td><td>Henke-Ject</td><td>14-14575</td><td>27 G x 3/4&#039;&#039; 0.4 x 20 mm</td></tr><tr><td>Needles for microfluidics</td><td>Henke-Ject</td><td>14-15538</td><td>18 G x 1 1/2&#039;&#039; 1.2 x 40 mm</td></tr><tr><td>Ni&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; Sepharose</td><td>Cytiva</td><td>17526802</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Nigericin</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>N7143-5MG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Nutator</td><td>VWR</td><td>83007-210</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Osmolality meter</td><td>Gonotec Salmenkipp</td><td>Osmomat 3000 basic freezing point osmometer</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Plasmacleaner</td><td>Plasma Etch</td><td>PE-Avenger</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Polycarbonate filter</td><td>Cytiva Whatman</td><td>Nuclepor Track-Etch Membrane Product: 10417104</td><td>0.4 &amp;micro;m</td></tr><tr><td>Polycarbonate ultracentrifuge tube</td><td>Beckman Coulter</td><td>355647</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Pyranine</td><td>Acros Organics</td><td>H1529-1G</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Quartz cuvette (black)</td><td>Hellma Analytics</td><td>108B-10-40</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sephadex G-75 resin&amp;nbsp;</td><td>GE Healthcare</td><td>17-0050-01</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sonicator</td><td>Sonics Sonics &amp;amp; Materials INC</td><td>Sonics vibra cell</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Syringe filter</td><td>Sarstedt</td><td>Filtropur S plus 0.2</td><td>0.2 &amp;micro;m</td></tr><tr><td>Syringe pump</td><td>Harvard Apparatus</td><td>A-42467</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tabletop centrifuge</td><td>Eppendorf</td><td>centrifuge 5418</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Teflon spacer</td><td>Homemade&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Teflon based</td><td>45 x 26 x 1.5 or 45 x 26 x 3 or 20 x 20 x 3 mm</td></tr><tr><td>Tris</td><td>PanReac AppliChem</td><td>A1086.1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Triton X-100</td><td>Sigma Aldrich</td><td>T8787-100 ml</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ultracentrifuge</td><td>Beckman Coulter</td><td>Optima Max-E</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>UV lamp</td><td>Spectroline</td><td>ENB-280C/FE</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>UV/VIS Spectrometer</td><td>Jasco</td><td>V730 spectrophotometer</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Valinomycin</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>V0627-10MG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Widefield fluorescence microscope</td><td>Zeiss</td><td>AxioObserver</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&amp;beta;-Casein</td><td>Sigma Aldrich</td><td>C5890-500g</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

construction of out&#45;of&#45;equilibrium metabolic networks in nano&#45; and micrometer&#45;sized vesicles

We present a method to incorporate into vesicles complex protein networks, involving integral membrane proteins, enzymes, and fluorescence-based sensors, using purified components. This method is relevant for the design and construction of bioreactors and the study of complex out-of-equilibrium metabolic reaction networks. We start by reconstituting (multiple) membrane proteins into large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) according to a previously developed protocol. We then encapsulate a mixture of purified enzymes, metabolites, and fluorescence-based sensors (fluorescent proteins or dyes) via freeze-thaw-extrusion and remove non-incorporated components by centrifugation and/or size-exclusion chromatography. The performance of the metabolic networks is measured in real time by monitoring the ATP/ADP ratio, metabolite concentration, internal pH, or other parameters by fluorescence readout. Our membrane protein-containing vesicles of 100-400 nm diameter can be converted into giant-unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), using existing but optimized procedures. The approach enables the inclusion of soluble components (enzymes, metabolites, sensors) into micrometer-size vesicles, thus upscaling the volume of the bioreactors by orders of magnitude. The metabolic network containing GUVs are&#160;trapped in microfluidic devices for analysis by optical microscopy.

The reconstitution of solubilized membrane proteins in liposomes requires the destabilization of preformed vesicles. The addition of low amounts of Triton X-100 initially results in an increase of absorbance at 540 nm (A540) due to an increase in light scattering by the swelling of the vesicles (Figure 4). The maximum A540 value is the point where the liposomes are saturated with detergent (Rsat), after which any further addition of Triton X-100 will...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering at JoVE.com

Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering

We present a protocol for reconstituting membrane proteins and encapsulating enzymes and other water-soluble components in lipid vesicles of sub-micrometer and micrometer size.

Construction of Out&#45;of&#45;Equilibrium Metabolic Networks in Nano&#45; and Micrometer&#45;Sized Vesicles

We present a method to incorporate into vesicles complex protein networks, involving integral membrane proteins, enzymes, and fluorescence-based sensors, ...

construction-out-equilibrium-metabolic-networks-nano-micrometer-sized

Research

JoVE Journal

Biochemistry

1.0K Views.  University of Groningen. We present a protocol for reconstituting membrane proteins and encapsulating enzymes and other water-soluble components in lipid vesicles of sub-micrometer and micrometer size.

Video: Author Spotlight: Tackling Challenges in Synthetic Cell Engineering

Directed Protein Packaging within Outer Membrane Vesicles from Escherichia coli: Design, Production and Purification

An increasing interest in applying synthetic biology techniques to program outer membrane vesicles (OMV) are leading to some very interesting and unique applications for OMV where traditional nanoparticles are proving too difficult to synthesize. To date, all Gram-negative bacteria have been shown to produce OMV demonstrating packaging of a variety of cargo that includes small molecules, peptides, proteins and genetic material. Based on their diverse cargo, OMV are implicated in many biological processes ranging from cell-cell communication to gene transfer and delivery of virulence factors depending upon which bacteria are producing the OMV. Only recently have bacterial OMV become accessible for use across a wide range of applications through the development of techniques to control and direct packaging of recombinant proteins into OMV. This protocol describes a method for the production, purification, and use of enzyme packaged OMV providing for improved overall production of recombinant enzyme, increased vesiculation, and enhanced enzyme stability. Successful utilization of this protocol will result in the creation of a bacterial strain that simultaneously produces a recombinant protein and directs it for OMV encapsulation through creating a synthetic linkage between the recombinant protein and an outer membrane anchor protein. This protocol also details methods for isolating OMV from bacterial cultures as well as proper handling techniques and things to consider when adapting this protocol for use for other unique applications such as: pharmaceutical drug delivery, medical diagnostics, and environmental remediation.

Directed Protein Packaging within Outer Membrane Vesicles from Escherichia coli: Design, Production and Purification

A protocol for the production, purification, and use of enzyme packaged outer membrane vesicles (OMV) providing for enhanced enzyme stability for implementation across diverse applications is presented.

An increasing interest in applying synthetic biology techniques to program outer membrane vesicles (OMV) are leading to some very interesting and unique ...

Sheathless Capillary Electrophoresis&#8211;Mass Spectrometry for Metabolic Profiling of Biological Samples

In metabolomics, a wide range of analytical techniques is used for the global profiling of (endogenous) metabolites in complex samples. In this paper, a protocol is presented for the analysis of anionic and cationic metabolites in biological samples by capillary electrophoresis&#8211;mass spectrometry (CE-MS). CE is well-suited for the analysis of highly polar and charged metabolites as compounds are separated on the basis of their charge-to-size ratio. A recently developed sheathless interfacing design, i.e., a porous tip interface, is used for coupling CE to electrospray ionization (ESI) MS. This interfacing approach allows the effective use of the intrinsically low-flow property of CE in combination with MS, resulting in nanomolar detection limits for a broad range of polar metabolite classes. The protocol presented here is based on employing a bare fused-silica capillary with a porous tip emitter at low-pH separation conditions for the analysis of a broad array of metabolite classes in biological samples. It is demonstrated that the same sheathless CE-MS method can be used for the profiling of cationic metabolites, including amino acids, nucleosides and small peptides, or anionic metabolites, including sugar phosphates, nucleotides and organic acids, by only switching the MS detection and separation voltage polarity. Highly information-rich metabolic profiles in various biological samples, such as urine, cerebrospinal fluid and extracts of the glioblastoma cell line, can be obtained by this protocol in less than 1 hr of CE-MS analysis.

A protocol for metabolic profiling of biological samples by capillary electrophoresis&#8211;mass spectrometry using a sheathless porous tip interface design is presented.

In metabolomics, a wide range of analytical techniques is used for the global profiling of (endogenous) metabolites in complex samples. In this paper, a ...

The Encapsulation of Cell-free Transcription and Translation Machinery in Vesicles for the Construction of Cellular Mimics

As interest shifts from individual molecules to systems of molecules, an increasing number of laboratories have sought to build from the bottom up cellular mimics that better represent the complexity of cellular life. To date there are a number of paths that could be taken to build compartmentalized cellular mimics, including the exploitation of water-in-oil emulsions, microfluidic devices, and vesicles. Each of the available options has specific advantages and disadvantages. For example, water-in-oil emulsions give high encapsulation efficiency but do not mimic well the permeability barrier of living cells. The primary advantage of the methods described herein is that they are all easy and cheap to implement. Transcription-translation machinery is encapsulated inside of phospholipid vesicles through a process that exploits common instrumentation, such as a centrifugal evaporator and an extruder. Reactions are monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. The protocols can be adapted for recombinant protein expression, the construction of cellular mimics, the exploration of the minimum requirements for cellular life, or the assembly of genetic circuitry.

Herein we describe simple methods for the preparation of vesicles, the encapsulation of transcription and translation machinery, and the monitoring of protein production. The resulting cell-free systems can be used as a starting point from which to build increasingly complex cellular mimics.

As interest shifts from individual molecules to systems of molecules, an increasing number of laboratories have sought to build from the bottom up ...

Bioengineering

Lipid Bilayer Vesicle Generation Using Microfluidic Jetting

Bottom-up synthetic biology presents a novel approach for investigating and reconstituting biochemical systems and, potentially, minimal organisms. This emerging field engages engineers, chemists, biologists, and physicists to design and assemble basic biological components into complex, functioning systems from the bottom up. Such bottom-up systems could lead to the development of artificial cells for fundamental biological inquiries and innovative therapies1,2. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) can serve as a model platform for synthetic biology due to their cell-like membrane structure and size. Microfluidic jetting, or microjetting, is a technique that allows for the generation of GUVs with controlled size, membrane composition, transmembrane protein incorporation, and encapsulation3. The basic principle of this method is the use of multiple, high-frequency fluid pulses generated by a piezo-actuated inkjet device to deform a suspended lipid bilayer into a GUV. The process is akin to blowing soap bubbles from a soap film. By varying the composition of the jetted solution, the composition of the encompassing solution, and/or the components included in the bilayer, researchers can apply this technique to create customized vesicles. This paper describes the procedure to generate simple vesicles from a droplet interface bilayer by microjetting.

Microfluidic jetting against a droplet interface lipid bilayer provides a reliable way to generate vesicles with control over membrane asymmetry, incorporation of transmembrane proteins, and encapsulation of material. This technique can be applied to study a variety of biological systems where compartmentalized biomolecules are desired.

Bottom-up synthetic biology presents a novel approach for investigating and reconstituting biochemical systems and, potentially, minimal organisms. This ...

Spontaneous Formation and Rearrangement of Artificial Lipid Nanotube Networks as a Bottom-Up Model for Endoplasmic Reticulum

We present a convenient method to form a bottom-up structural organelle model for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The model consists of highly dense lipidic nanotubes that are, in terms of morphology and dynamics, reminiscent of ER. The networks are derived from phospholipid double bilayer membrane patches adhering to a transparent Al2O3 substrate. The adhesion is mediated by Ca2+ in the ambient buffer. Subsequent depletion of Ca2+ by means of BAPTA/EDTA causes retraction of the membrane, resulting in spontaneous lipid nanotube network formation. The method only comprises phospholipids and microfabricated surfaces for simple formation of an ER model and does not require the addition of proteins or chemical energy (e.g., GTP or ATP). In contrast to the 3D morphology of the cellular endoplasmic reticulum, the model is two-dimensional (albeit the nanotube dimensions, geometry, structure, and dynamics are maintained). This unique in vitro ER model consists of only a few components, is easy to construct, and can be observed under a light microscope. The resulting structure can be further decorated for additional functionality, such as the addition of ER-associated proteins or particles to study transport phenomena among the tubes. The artificial networks described here are suitable structural models for the cellular ER, whose unique characteristic morphology has been shown to be related to its biological function, whereas details regarding formation of the tubular domain and rearrangements within are still not completely understood. We note that this method uses Al2O3 thin-film-coated microscopy coverslips, which are commercially available but require special orders. Therefore, it is advisable to have access to a microfabrication facility for preparation.

Solid-supported, protein-free, double phospholipid bilayer membranes (DLBM) can be transformed into complex and dynamic lipid nanotube networks and can serve as 2D bottom-up models of the endoplasmic reticulum.

We present a convenient method to form a bottom-up structural organelle model for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The model consists of highly dense ...

Fabricating Multi-Component Lipid Nanotube Networks Using the Gliding Kinesin Motility Assay

Lipid nanotube (LNT) networks represent an in vitro model system for studying molecular transport and lipid biophysics with relevance to the ubiquitous lipid tubules found in eukaryotic cells. However, in vivo LNTs are highly non-equilibrium structures that require chemical energy and molecular motors to be assembled, maintained, and reorganized. Furthermore, the composition of in vivo LNTs is complex, comprising of multiple different lipid species. Typical methods to extrude LNTs are both time- and labor-intensive, and they require optical tweezers, microbeads, and micropipettes to forcibly pull nanotubes from giant lipid vesicles. Presented here is a protocol for the gliding motility assay (GMA), in which large scale LNT networks are rapidly generated from giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using kinesin-powered microtubule motility. Using this method, LNT networks are formed from a wide array of lipid formulations that mimic the complexity of biological LNTs, making them increasingly useful for in vitro studies of lipid biophysics and membrane-associated transport. Additionally, this method is capable of reliably producing LNT networks in a short time (&#60;30 min) using commonly used laboratory equipment. LNT network characteristics such as length, width, and lipid partitioning are also tunable by altering the lipid composition of the GUVs used for fabricating the networks.

This protocol describes a process for fabricating lipid nanotube networks using gliding kinesin motility in conjunction with giant unilamellar lipid vesicles.

Lipid nanotube (LNT) networks represent an in vitro model system for studying molecular transport and lipid biophysics with relevance to the ubiquitous ...

Bacterial Cell Culture at the Single-cell Level Inside Giant Vesicles

We developed a method for culturing bacterial cells at the single-cell level inside giant vesicles (GVs). Bacterial cell culture is important for understanding the function of bacterial cells in the natural environment. Because of technological advances, various bacterial cell functions can be revealed at the single-cell level inside a confined space. GVs are spherical micro-sized compartments composed of amphiphilic lipid molecules and can hold various materials, including cells. In this study, a single bacterial cell was encapsulated into 10&#8211;30 &#956;m GVs by the droplet transfer method and the GVs containing bacterial cells were immobilized on a supported membrane on a glass substrate. Our method is useful for observing the real-time growth of single bacteria inside GVs. We cultured Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells as a model inside GVs, but this method can be adapted to other cell types. Our method can be used in the science and industrial fields of microbiology, biology, biotechnology, and synthetic biology.

We demonstrate single-cell culture of bacteria inside giant vesicles (GVs). GVs containing bacterial cells were prepared by the droplet transfer method and were immobilized on a supported membrane on a glass substrate for direct observation of bacterial growth. This approach may also be adaptable to other cells.

We developed a method for culturing bacterial cells at the single-cell level inside giant vesicles (GVs). Bacterial cell culture is important for ...

Immunology and Infection

In Vitro Reconstitution of the Actin Cytoskeleton Inside Giant Unilamellar Vesicles

The actin cytoskeleton, the principal mechanical machinery in the cell, mediates numerous essential physical cellular activities, including cell deformation, division, migration, and adhesion. However, studying the dynamics and structure of the actin network in vivo is complicated by the biochemical and genetic regulation within live cells. To build a minimal model devoid of intracellular biochemical regulation, actin is encapsulated inside giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs, also called liposomes). The biomimetic liposomes are cell-sized and facilitate a quantitative insight into the mechanical and dynamical properties of the cytoskeleton network, opening a viable route for bottom-up synthetic biology. To generate liposomes for encapsulation, the inverted emulsion method (also referred to as the emulsion transfer method) is utilized, which is one of the most successful techniques for encapsulating complex solutions into liposomes to prepare various cell-mimicking systems. With this method, a mixture of proteins of interest is added to the inner buffer, which is later emulsified in a phospholipid-containing mineral oil solution to form monolayer lipid droplets. The desired liposomes are generated from monolayer lipid droplets crossing a lipid/oil-water interface. This method enables the encapsulation of concentrated actin polymers into the liposomes with desired lipid components, paving the way for in vitro reconstitution of a biomimicking cytoskeleton network.

In Vitro Reconstitution of the Actin Cytoskeleton Inside Giant Unilamellar Vesicles

In this manuscript, we demonstrate the experimental techniques to encapsulate the F-actin cytoskeleton into giant unilamellar lipid vesicles (also called liposomes), and the method to form a cortex-biomimicking F-actin layer at the inner leaflet of the liposome membrane.

The actin cytoskeleton, the principal mechanical machinery in the cell, mediates numerous essential physical cellular activities, including cell ...

Cell-Free Expression of Membrane Proteins in Giant Unilamellar Vesicles

Reconstitution of the Bacterial Glutamate Receptor Channel by Encapsulation of a Cell-Free Expression System

Cell-free expression (CFE) systems are powerful tools in synthetic biology that allow biomimicry of cellular functions like biosensing and energy regeneration in synthetic cells. Reconstruction of a wide range of cellular processes, however, requires successful reconstitution of membrane proteins into the membrane of synthetic cells. While the expression of soluble proteins is usually successful in common CFE systems, the reconstitution of membrane proteins in lipid bilayers of synthetic cells has proven to be challenging. Here, a method for reconstitution of a model membrane protein, bacterial glutamate receptor (GluR0), in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) as model synthetic cells based on encapsulation and incubation of the CFE reaction inside synthetic cells is demonstrated. Utilizing this platform, the effect of substituting the N-terminal signal peptide of GluR0 with proteorhodopsin signal peptide on successful cotranslational translocation of GluR0 into membranes of hybrid GUVs is demonstrated. This method provides a robust procedure that will allow cell-free reconstitution of various membrane proteins in synthetic cells.

Author Spotlight: Membrane Protein Reconstitution in Synthetic Cells

This protocol describes the inverted emulsion method used to encapsulate a cell-free expression (CFE) system within a giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) for the investigation of the synthesis and incorporation of a model membrane protein into the lipid bilayer.

Cell-free expression (CFE) systems are powerful tools in synthetic biology that allow biomimicry of cellular functions like biosensing and energy ...

Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies

Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) are a popular biomimetic system for studying membrane associated phenomena. However, commonly used protocols to grow GUVs must be modified in order to form GUVs containing functional transmembrane proteins. This article describes two dehydration-rehydration methods &#8212; electroformation and gel-assisted swelling &#8212; to form GUVs containing the voltage-gated potassium channel, KvAP. In both methods, a solution of protein-containing small unilamellar vesicles is partially dehydrated to form a stack of membranes, which is then allowed to swell in a rehydration buffer. For the electroformation method, the film is deposited on platinum electrodes so that an AC field can be applied during film rehydration. In contrast, the gel-assisted swelling method uses an agarose gel substrate to enhance film rehydration. Both methods can produce GUVs in low (e.g., 5 mM) and physiological (e.g., 100 mM) salt concentrations. The resulting GUVs are characterized via fluorescence microscopy, and the function of reconstituted channels measured using the inside-out patch-clamp configuration. While swelling in the presence of an alternating electric field (electroformation) gives a high yield of defect-free GUVs, the gel-assisted swelling method produces a more homogeneous protein distribution and requires no special equipment.

The reconstitution of the transmembrane protein, KvAP, into giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) is demonstrated for two dehydration-rehydration methods &#8212; electroformation, and gel-assisted swelling. In both methods, small unilamellar vesicles containing the protein are fused together to form GUVs that can then be studied by fluorescence microscopy and patch-clamp electrophysiology.

Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) are a popular biomimetic system for studying membrane associated phenomena. However, commonly used protocols to grow ...

Construction of Out-of-Equilibrium Metabolic Networks in Nano- and Micrometer-Sized Vesicles

Summary

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Lipid Bilayer Vesicle Generation Using Microfluidic Jetting

Spontaneous Formation and Rearrangement of Artificial Lipid Nanotube Networks as a Bottom-Up Model for Endoplasmic Reticulum

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Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies