Nicola De Franceschi

Hydration-dehydration cycles drive compartment dynamics in minimal protocells

This study shows hydration-dehydration cycles drive compartment dynamics in minimal protocells without chemical reactions or metabolism.

Detergent-free reconstitution of transmembrane proteins in giant liposomes of complex curvature by the Synthetic Membrane Transfer

This paper introduces a detergent-free method to reconstitute transmembrane proteins into GUVs with complex curvature, enabling functional studies of membrane proteins in physiologically relevant geometries.

Interaction hierarchy among Cdv proteins drives recruitment to membrane necks

The paper investigates how interactions among Cdv proteins drive their recruitment to membrane necks during crenarchaeal cell division.

Engineering ssRNA tile filaments for (dis)assembly and membrane binding

This paper engineers ssRNA tiles to create cytoskeletal-like filaments with programmable assembly, disassembly, stiffness, membrane binding, and protein attachment capabilities.

Dynamin A as a one-component division machinery for synthetic cells

This study demonstrates that Dynamin A can split dumbbell-shaped liposomes, functioning as a one-component division machinery for synthetic cells.

A synthetic membrane shaper for controlled liposome deformation

This paper introduces a DNA-based tool called SMS to generate controlled liposome shapes like stomatocytes and dumbbells, compatible with protein reconstitution.

Optimized cDICE for efficient reconstitution of biological systems in giant unilamellar vesicles

This paper optimizes the cDICE method to produce high-quality, defect-free GUVs with efficient encapsulation of complex biochemical systems.

ProLIF: a quantitative assay for investigating integrin cytoplasmic protein interactions and synergistic membrane effects on proteoliposomes

ProLIF quantitatively measures integrin-protein interactions in proteoliposomes using flow cytometry, enabling analysis of membrane effects on protein recruitment.