Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells

Hsu, Y.-Y.; Chen, S. J.; Bernal-Chanchavac, J.; Moghimianavval, H.; Stephanopoulos, N.; Liu, A. P.

doi:10.1101/2023.05.06.539684

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.05.06.539684

Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells

Hsu, Y.-Y.·Chen, S. J.·Bernal-Chanchavac, J.·Moghimianavval, H.·Stephanopoulos, N.·Liu, A. P.

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Abstract

In cells, membrane fusion is mediated by SNARE proteins, whose activities are calcium-dependent. While several non-native membrane fusion mechanisms have been demonstrated, few can respond to external stimuli. Here, we develop a calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion strategy where fusion is regulated using surface-bound PEG chains that are cleavable by the calcium-activated protease calpain-1.

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Hsu, Y.-Y., Chen, S. J., Bernal-Chanchavac, J., Moghimianavval, H., Stephanopoulos, N., Liu, A. P.. 2023-05-06. Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.06.539684

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