In this work, we explored novel non-enzymatic methods of synthesizing phospholipid membranes using water-soluble, non-membrane forming natural precursors. The key class of molecules undergoes rapid, facile bond formation with functionalized lysolipids under mild conditions. Building on these results, we were able to link phospholipid formation with an enzyme catalyzed reaction, in order to tune vesicle formation with gene expression. Inspired by a previous work in our group, we found that phospholipids can be generated in situ from enzymatically formed activated fatty acyl precursors and lysolipids. Further, generation of this enzyme can be linked to gene expression in a recombinant system. Our current research is expected to provide some insight into membrane evolution in the context of origin of life and also develop novel methods for in situ vesicle generation for bottom-up synthetic biology applications.

Linking gene expression with phospholipid vesicle formation in a recombinant system

251st National Meeting (2016)

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