[Seminar] Bottom-up approach for an artificial cell synthesis by Prof. Tomoaki Matsuura, Osaka University

Title
Bottom-up approach for an artificial cell synthesis

Speaker
Dr. Tomoaki Matsuura
Associate Professor at Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University 

Abstract
It has now become possible to reconstitute various biological systems in vitro, which exhibit features of the living cells, by assembling defined molecules. Using cell-sized liposomes and a reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis system, we have constructed an artificial cell from approximately 100 different defined molecules, which can synthesize protein of interest inside the cell-sized liposome (Figure). By using this in liposome protein synthesis system, we have been synthesizing various membrane proteins that enable the analysis of the relationship between the membrane dynamics and the synthesized membrane proteins. In addition, in liposome protein synthesis system can be used for the directed evolution of membrane proteins entirely in vitro. Here, I will present the construction of in liposome membrane protein synthesis system and its application.

Figure: Schematic of in liposome membrane protein synthesis system. The system was assembled by mixing approximately 100 different purified biomolecules. Only the proteins of interest will be synthesized inside the cell-sized liposome by encapsulating the encoding DNA.