Mechanochemical signal transduction in synthetic cells

Abstract

Mechanotransduction determines the adaptive response of natural cells via transmem-brane proteins1. The incorporation of membrane-spanning structures to guide cellular function and to enable transmembrane signalling is therefore a critical aim for bottom-up synthetic biology2,3,4. Here, we design membrane-spanning DNA origami signalling units (DOSUs) and mechanically couple them to DNA cytoskeletons5 encapsulated within giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). We verify the assembly and incorporation of the DOSUs into the GUV membranes and achieve their clustering upon external stimulation. The transmembrane-spanning DOSUs act as a pore to allow for the transport of single-stranded DNA into the GUVs. We employ this to externally trigger the reconfiguration of DNA cytoskeletons within GUVs using strand displacement reactions. In addition to chemical signalling, we achieve the mechanical coupling of the externally added DOSUs and the internal DNA cytoskeletons. We induce clustering of the DOSUs, which triggers a symmetry break in the organization of the DNA cytoskeleton which is mechanically coupled to the DOSU.Our work thus provides a mechanical and chemical transmembrane signaling module towards the assembly of stimuli-responsive and adaptive synthetic cells.