Intracellular Communication

The main idea of the project is to address intracellular communication through designer phase-separating membraneless organelles (MOs) in cell-like assemblies using on-chip microfluidic techniques, advanced microscopy, and molecular cloning. The idea is to generate multiple, functional, condensate-based compartments within synthetic cells to drive independent enzymatic reactions. The first major accomplishment would be to design different polypeptides that will have the potential to undergo LLPS under different triggers in such a way that each remains a distinct functional hub, which will act as a reaction centre within its own distinct ‘compartment’. Additionally, di-block peptide surfactants will be engineered to stabilize the surface of corresponding MOs, preventing mixing. The next step would be to encapsulate these different polypeptides into a monodispersed cell-mimicking container, such as liposomes or double emulsions, triggering the phase separation process, and creating multiple MOs within the same synthetic cell. Through this project, we will have a deeper understanding on how cells compartmentalize at the subcellular level to facilitate biochemical reactions.