2025/05/09 by Monika Wenisch, Yinqing Li, Marius G. Braun +7 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · Physics and Astronomy · #Origins and Evolution of Life #Photoreceptor and optogenetics research #Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.chempr.2025.102578
openalex publication_date 2025/05/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The de novo synthesis of life from non-living matter represents a bold scientific challenge, advancing our understanding of life's minimal requirements and offering revolutionary applications in biotechnology. We explore fuel-dependent synthetic cells based on complex coacervate droplets, which lack membranes and readily take up reactants. Given their fuel-dependent nature, these droplets emerge and grow when fuel is abundant but dissolve under starvation conditions, mimicking the non-equilibrium nature of life. However, their ability to produce offspring—a key requirement for life—has remained elusive. Moreover, their rescue in repetitive fueling-starvation experiments has not been demonstrated. Our work elucidates a mechanism of producing offspring by synthetic cells driven by solid-like speckles in droplets liberated as offspring. By fine-tuning parameters, we control offspring number and survival. Finally, refueling sustains second-generation synthetic cells. This system provides a platform for coupling offspring production with self-replicating molecules, paving the way for synthetic cells capable of Darwinian evolution.