[Nov 25] 225th iCeMS Seminar : Prof Neal K Devaraj

Prof Neal K Devaraj
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California, San Diego


Making, Breaking, and Replicating Lipid Membranes in Synthetic Cells
Lipid membranes in cells are fluid structures that undergo constant synthesis, remodeling, fission, and fusion. The dynamic nature of lipid membranes enables their use as adaptive compartments, making them indispensable for all life on Earth. Efforts to create life-like artificial cells will likely involve mimicking the structure and function of lipid membranes to recapitulate fundamental cellular processes such as growth, transport, and signal transduction. As such, there is considerable interest in chemistry that mimics the functional properties of membranes, with the express intent of recapitulating cellular phenomena while also providing clues to how life might have originated. I will present recent efforts from our lab to mimic some of the remarkable dynamic properties of living membranes. Leveraging the ability of small amphiphilic molecules to react with one another rapidly and selectively in aqueous environments, our laboratory has developed methods for the abiotic synthesis of membrane-forming lipids from basic starting materials. These reactions occur spontaneously in water, driving lipid self-assembly and the formation of cell-like membranes. While initial investigations from our laboratory primarily yielded non-natural lipid analogs, our recent efforts have shifted towards the development of methodologies for synthesizing membranes composed of lipids identical to those naturally occurring in biological systems. I will also discuss work aiming to recapitulate lipid metabolic processes, but in the absence of any protein enzymes. Finally, I will introduce recent efforts to develop primitive lipid replicators that can drive protocell reproduction.