The powerhouse of the future: Artificial cells
Assessing how energy-generating synthetic organelles could sustain
artificial cells

Date:
March 28, 2023
Source:
American Institute of Physics
Summary:
Researchers identify the most promising advancements and greatest
challenges of artificial mitochondria and chloroplasts. The
team describes the components required to construct synthetic
mitochondria and chloroplasts and identifies proteins as the most
important aspects for molecular rotary machinery, proton transport,
and ATP production. The authors believe it is important to create
artificial cells with biologically realistic energy-generation
methods that mimic natural processes; replicating the entire cell
could lead to future biomaterials.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Energy production in nature is the responsibility of chloroplasts and mitochondria and is crucial for fabricating sustainable, synthetic cells
in the lab. Mitochondria are not only "the powerhouses of the cell," as
the middle school biology adage goes, but also one of the most complex intracellular components to replicate artificially.


========================================================================== InBiophysics Reviews, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Sogang
University in South Korea and the Harbin Institute of Technology in China identified the most promising advancements and greatest challenges of artificial mitochondria and chloroplasts.

"If scientists can create artificial mitochondria and chloroplasts,
we could potentially develop synthetic cells that can generate energy
and synthesize molecules autonomously. This would pave the way for the
creation of entirely new organisms or biomaterials," author Kwanwoo
Shin said.

In plants, chloroplasts use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide
into glucose. Mitochondria, found in plants and animals alike, produce
energy by breaking down glucose.

Once a cell produces energy, it often uses a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to store and transfer that energy. When the cell
breaks down the ATP, it releases energy that powers the cell's functions.

"In other words, ATP acts as the main energy currency of the cell, and
it is vital for the cell to perform most of the cellular functions,"
said Shin.

The team describes the components required to construct synthetic
mitochondria and chloroplasts and identifies proteins as the most
important aspects for molecular rotary machinery, proton transport,
and ATP production.

Previous studies have replicated components that make up the
energy-producing organelles. Some of the most promising work investigates
the intermediate operations involved in the complex energy-generating
process. By connecting the sequence of proteins and enzymes, researchers
have improved energy efficiency.

One of the most significant challenges remaining in trying to reconstruct
the energy production organelles is enabling self-adaptation in changing environments to maintain a stable supply of ATP. Future studies must investigate how to improve upon this limiting feature before synthetic
cells are self-sustainable.

The authors believe it is important to create artificial cells with biologically realistic energy-generation methods that mimic natural
processes.

Replicating the entire cell could lead to future biomaterials and lend
insight into the past.

"This could be an important milestone in understanding the origin of
life and the origin of cells," Shin said.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# Cell_Biology # Molecular_Biology #
Biotechnology_and_Bioengineering # Biology
o Matter_&_Energy
# Energy_Technology # Energy_and_Resources #
Nuclear_Energy # Solar_Energy
* RELATED_TERMS
o Chloroplast o Mitochondrion o Bacteria o Renewable_energy
o Artificial_reef o DNA_repair o Biology o Cell_membrane

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Institute_of_Physics. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hyun Park, Weichen Wang, Seo Hyeon Min, Yongshuo Ren, Kwanwoo Shin,
Xiaojun Han. Artificial organelles for sustainable chemical
energy conversion and production in artificial cells: Artificial
mitochondrion and chloroplasts. Biophysics Reviews, 2023; 4 (1):
011311 DOI: 10.1063/ 5.0131071 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230328145222.htm

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