Molecular communication enables cooperative genomic RNA replication in all-aqueous droplet colonies

Multicellular organization enables biological functions to be distributed among specialized cells and coordinated through intercellular communication. Integrating this organizational principle with genome replication would link functional division of labor to the propagation of genetic information. Here, we show that genomic RNAs with complementary functions can cooperatively replicate across communicating artificial compartments. We constructed multicell-like colonies from all-aqueous droplets formed by phase separation of two incompatible polymers and stabilized at their interfaces by liposomes and amyloid-like proteins. The droplets assembled spontaneously while remaining permeable to protein-sized macromolecules. Two genomic RNAs encoding a replication enzyme and a metabolic enzyme were distributed in distinct colony-forming droplets and cooperatively replicated through cell-free translation and reciprocal molecular communication. These findings establish that genome replication can be collectively supported by communicating artificial compartments and provide a route toward multicell-like systems that coordinate spatially distributed genetic functions.