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Minimal Cellular Models for Origins-of-Life Studies and Biotechnology

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The Biophysics of Cell Membranes

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Biophysics ((BIOPHYSICS,volume 19))

Abstract

Minimal cellular models can be defined as those vesicle-based cell-like constructs that are assembled with the aim of (1) clarifying/understanding unknown aspects in origins-of-life research and hypotheses testing, (2) studying reconstituted biochemical pathways in a simplified system, (3) being exploited for potential biotechnological applications, and (4) developing novel concepts/technologies. These ‘synthetic cells’ are created by the bottom-up approach and within the synthetic/constructive paradigm. Here we shortly review the main ideas behind such novel usage of vesicles, and comment the experimental data collected in the past decades. An intriguing picture emerges, where technical progresses owing to the convergence of liposome, cell-free (and microfluidic) technologies lead to a fecund research area of great potential, which blends fundamental scientific question with the most modern and challenging facets of synthetic biology.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to Pier Luigi Luisi (ETH Zürich, Switzerland and Uniroma3, Italy) for inspiring discussions over the past 15 years. Luisa Damiano (Univ. Messina and CERCO, Univ. of Bergamo) is acknowledged for the discussion presented in Sect. 6.5.2.1. Synthetic cell research has been developed with the framework of two European COST Actions, namely CM-1304 Emergence and Evolution of Complex Chemical Systems and TD-1308 Origins and evolution of life on Earth and in the Universe (ORIGINS).

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  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology (DiSTeBA), Università del Salento, Campus Ecotekne (S.P. 6 Lecce-Monteroni), 73100, Lecce, Italy

    Pasquale Stano

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  1. Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Richard M. Epand

  2. Sciences Faculty, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Jean-Marie Ruysschaert

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Stano, P. (2017). Minimal Cellular Models for Origins-of-Life Studies and Biotechnology. In: Epand, R., Ruysschaert, JM. (eds) The Biophysics of Cell Membranes. Springer Series in Biophysics, vol 19. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6244-5_6

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