Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells

Yen-Yu Hsu; Samuel J. Chen; Julio Bernal‐Chanchavac; Bineet Sharma; Hossein Moghimianavval; Nicholas Stephanopoulos; Allen P. Liu

doi:10.1039/d3cc02204h

Synthetic BiologyChemical CommunicationsJan 1, 2023

Peer-reviewed journal article

Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells

Yen-Yu Hsu, Samuel J. Chen iD, Julio Bernal‐Chanchavac iD, Bineet Sharma iD, Hossein Moghimianavval iD, Nicholas Stephanopoulos iD, Allen P. Liu iD

PDF DOI Preprint

Post to X

Threads on X Post to Bluesky Threads on Bluesky

Abstract

In cells, membrane fusion is mediated by SNARE proteins, whose activities are calcium-dependent. While several non-native membrane fusion mechanisms have been demonstrated, few can respond to external stimuli. Here, we develop a calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion strategy where fusion is regulated using surface-bound PEG chains that are cleavable by the calcium-activated protease calpain-1.