Artificial organelles (AO) aim to equip cells with designed activity in addition to substituting for missing or lost function. AOs are typically nanosized single compartment reactors, targeted to perform a specific encapsulated catalytic reaction within cells. Among the challenges to engineering AO are their placement in the cytosol i.e., their ability to escape the lysosome after endocytotic uptake and sustained integrity of the assemblies. Hybrid polymer-lipid vesicles (HV) are attractive assemblies because they not only allow to encapsulate enzymes, but they unite the best properties of both building blocks. However, many questions remain to be addressed including their membrane properties (e.g., (nano)domain formation) or their stability upon cellular uptake. We prepared a series of HVs made of block copolymer consisting of the hydrophobic poly(cholesteryl methacrylate) and the hydrophilic poly(carboxyethyl acrylate) with membranolytic properties and phospholipid lipids. The successful assembly of the HVs with homogenously distributed block copolymer in the lipid membrane for both small HVs (Dh=150 nm) and giant HVs (d=2 μm) was shown through the FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer) effect between the fluorescently labeled polymer chains and lipids. The assemblies did not show any toxicity in HepG2 cells for the tested concentrations and the HVs could be taken up through the macropinosotic pathway. Due to the incorporated FRET pair, the intracellular fate of the building blocks could be unraveled. Taken together, these results provide insight into the use of HV as carriers for the assembly of artificial organelles. 

Anionic polymer-lipid hybrid vesicles as artificial organelles

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.