Journal cover: Peptide-Based Coacervate Protocells with Cytoprotective Metal−Phenolic Network Membranes

A collaborative team of researchers from the West China School of Stomatology (WCSS) and the College of Biomass Science and Engineering at Sichuan University has achieved a significant breakthrough by developing a membranized peptide coacervate (PC) with oppositely charged oligopeptides as the molecularly crowded cytosol and a metal-phenolic network (MPN) coating as the membrane. Their research was published and selected as the journal cover in the journal J Am Chem Soc (Published online October 3, 2023), showcasing the synthesis of this unique membrane-bound protocell.

Design and fabrication of PC@MPN membrane-bound protocells.

Protocells have garnered considerable attention from various scientific disciplines, including cell biologists, materials scientists, and synthetic biologists. However, the membrane-free nature of such coacervates leads coalescence into a bulk phase, a phenomenon that is not representative of the cells they are designed to mimic.

To overcome this challenge, researchers fabricated a membrane-bound protocell (PC@MPN) with emergent properties by coating peptide coacervates (PCs), which mimic the cytosol, with MPNs, which serve as cytomembranes. This mild synthesis relies on the liquid-liquid phase separation of oligopeptides and the strong coordination between phenolic ligands and metal ions, creating highly biocompatible and robust membrane-bound protocells. The resultant PC@MPNs allow for a biomolecule-rich interior capable of supporting a series of localized biocatalytic cascade reactions.

Moreover, the semipermeable PC@MPNs possess long-term colloidal stability and the ability to scavenge radicals. Notably, the ability to sequester and maintain the activity of enzymes, tailor the physicochemical properties, and modify the surface, sets a solid foundation for utilizing PC@MPNs as targeted drug delivery systems. Researchers also validated PC@MPNs as delivery platforms for anticancer therapy (e.g., doxorubicin).

In summary, this study reports the synthesis of a unique membrane-bound protocell, which paves the way for innovative synthetic cells with structural and functional complexity.

Ph.D. candidates Linli Jiang, Yiwei Zeng, and postdoctoral fellow Hui Li are co-first authors. Professor Jiajing Zhou from the College of Biomass Science and Engineering at Sichuan University, Professor Lei Liu from our institution, and Professor Frank Caruso from the University of Melbourne are co-corresponding authors.

For more details, please click the link below.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.3c07748