Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells
Protocells offer a versatile material for dissecting cellular processes and developing simplified biomimetic systems by combining biological components with synthetic ones. However, a gap exists between the integrity and complex functionality of native organelles such as nuclei, and bottom‐up strate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Small Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202400622 |
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| author | Lukas Heuberger Arianna Balestri Shabnam Tarvirdipour Larisa E. Kapinos Roderick Y. H. Lim Emanuel Lörtscher Cora‐Ann Schoenenberger Cornelia G. Palivan |
| author_facet | Lukas Heuberger Arianna Balestri Shabnam Tarvirdipour Larisa E. Kapinos Roderick Y. H. Lim Emanuel Lörtscher Cora‐Ann Schoenenberger Cornelia G. Palivan |
| author_sort | Lukas Heuberger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Protocells offer a versatile material for dissecting cellular processes and developing simplified biomimetic systems by combining biological components with synthetic ones. However, a gap exists between the integrity and complex functionality of native organelles such as nuclei, and bottom‐up strategies reducing cellular functions within a synthetic environment. Here, this gap is bridged by incorporating native nuclei into polymeric giant unilamellar vesicles (pGUVs) using double‐emulsion microfluidics. It is shown that the nuclei retain their morphology and nuclear envelope integrity, facilitating the import of co‐encapsulated peptide‐based multicompartment micelles (MCMs) via nuclear localization signals (NLS). Importantly, it is demonstrated that the nuclear import machinery remains functional inside the protocells, and by enriching the GUV interior with nuclear import‐promoting factors, the delivery efficiency of NLS‐MCMs significantly increases. The findings reveal that nucleated protocells preserve nuclear function and integrity for extended periods, providing a new platform for studying nuclear processes in a simplified, yet biologically relevant, environment. This approach opens avenues for creating advanced biohybrid materials, offering opportunities to investigate organelle behavior and their interactions with cellular components in greater detail. The findings establish a foundation for high‐throughput applications in synthetic biology and contribute valuable insights into sustaining complex cellular functions in engineered systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e27c96f758e04d88a2abb89a1675bf13 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2688-4046 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Small Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-e27c96f758e04d88a2abb89a1675bf132025-08-20T02:06:26ZengWiley-VCHSmall Science2688-40462025-06-0156n/an/a10.1002/smsc.202400622Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in ProtocellsLukas Heuberger0Arianna Balestri1Shabnam Tarvirdipour2Larisa E. Kapinos3Roderick Y. H. Lim4Emanuel Lörtscher5Cora‐Ann Schoenenberger6Cornelia G. Palivan7Department of Chemistry University of Basel Mattenstrasse 22 4058 Basel SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry University of Basel Mattenstrasse 22 4058 Basel SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry University of Basel Mattenstrasse 22 4058 Basel SwitzerlandBiozentrum and Swiss Nanoscience Institute University of Basel Spitalstrasse 41 4056 Basel SwitzerlandBiozentrum and Swiss Nanoscience Institute University of Basel Spitalstrasse 41 4056 Basel SwitzerlandIBM Research Europe–Zürich Säumerstrasse 4 8803 Rüschlikon SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry University of Basel Mattenstrasse 22 4058 Basel SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry University of Basel Mattenstrasse 22 4058 Basel SwitzerlandProtocells offer a versatile material for dissecting cellular processes and developing simplified biomimetic systems by combining biological components with synthetic ones. However, a gap exists between the integrity and complex functionality of native organelles such as nuclei, and bottom‐up strategies reducing cellular functions within a synthetic environment. Here, this gap is bridged by incorporating native nuclei into polymeric giant unilamellar vesicles (pGUVs) using double‐emulsion microfluidics. It is shown that the nuclei retain their morphology and nuclear envelope integrity, facilitating the import of co‐encapsulated peptide‐based multicompartment micelles (MCMs) via nuclear localization signals (NLS). Importantly, it is demonstrated that the nuclear import machinery remains functional inside the protocells, and by enriching the GUV interior with nuclear import‐promoting factors, the delivery efficiency of NLS‐MCMs significantly increases. The findings reveal that nucleated protocells preserve nuclear function and integrity for extended periods, providing a new platform for studying nuclear processes in a simplified, yet biologically relevant, environment. This approach opens avenues for creating advanced biohybrid materials, offering opportunities to investigate organelle behavior and their interactions with cellular components in greater detail. The findings establish a foundation for high‐throughput applications in synthetic biology and contribute valuable insights into sustaining complex cellular functions in engineered systems.https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202400622native nucleinuclear deliverypeptide multicompartment micellespolymeric GUVsprotocells |
| spellingShingle | Lukas Heuberger Arianna Balestri Shabnam Tarvirdipour Larisa E. Kapinos Roderick Y. H. Lim Emanuel Lörtscher Cora‐Ann Schoenenberger Cornelia G. Palivan Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells Small Science native nuclei nuclear delivery peptide multicompartment micelles polymeric GUVs protocells |
| title | Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells |
| title_full | Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells |
| title_fullStr | Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells |
| title_short | Polymeric Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Support Longevity of Native Nuclei in Protocells |
| title_sort | polymeric giant unilamellar vesicles support longevity of native nuclei in protocells |
| topic | native nuclei nuclear delivery peptide multicompartment micelles polymeric GUVs protocells |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202400622 |
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