title: Membrane assembly driven by a biomimetic coupling reaction.
abstract: One of the major goals of synthetic biology is the development of non-natural cellular systems. In this work, we describe a catalytic biomimetic coupling reaction capable of driving the de novo self-assembly of phospholipid membranes. Our system features a coppercatalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition that results in the formation of a triazole-containing phospholipid analogue. Concomitant assembly of membranes occurs spontaneously, not requiring preexisting membranes to house catalysts or precursors. The substitution of efficient synthetic reactions for key biochemical processes may offer a general route toward synthetic biological systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Itay
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Budin
authors.forename: Neal K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Devaraj
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry; D014230:Triazoles / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010743:Phospholipids; D014230:Triazoles