title: Question 7: new aspects of interactions among vesicles.
abstract: In this short article I discuss the relevance of two aspects of vesicle reactivity that are germane to understand the role of compartments in the origin of early cells. Studies of vesicle self-reproduction indicate that simple vesicles can grow and divide, maintaining inside most of their content and giving rise to a simple autopoietic system. New aspects of vesicle reactivity are also introduced, such as selection and competition processes within vesicle populations, emphasizing the concepts of vesicle diversity, inter-vesicles and vesicles-environment interactions, intended as synthetic analogs of primitive 'ecological' processes.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Enrico Fermi, Compendio del Viminale, 00184 Rome, Italy. stano@uniroma3.it
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stano
mesh_terms: D054709:Lecithins / Q000737:chemistry; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054709:Lecithins; D008081:Liposomes; D012343:RNA, Transfer