Question 9: prospects for the construction of artificial cells or protocells.
The construction of artificial cells or protocells that are a simplified version of contemporary cells will have implications for both the understanding of the origins of cellular Life and the design of "cell-like" chemical factories. In this short communication, we discuss the progress and remaining issues related to the construction of protocells from metabolic products. We further outline the de novo design of a simple chemical system that mimics the functional properties of a living cell without being composed of molecules of biological origin, thereby addressing issues related to Life's origins.
Monnard
Pierre-Alain
PA
Earth and Environmental Sciences EES-6, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA. pmonnard@lanl.gov
Ziock
H-J
HJ
D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D002477:Cells; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D019369:Life; D008954:Models, Biological