Synthetic membranes have the potential to shed light on biological processes such as gene expression and energy transduction, as well as organize chemical reactions in nanoscale compartments. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest to develop novel strategies for the formation of artificial membranes to facilitate signaling responses, drug delivery, encapsulation and extended expression of biomolecules. Here we describe the use of biomimetic approaches to spontaneously generate and remodel phospholipid membranes from water-soluble starting materials. Additionally, we explore the suitability of such bioorthogonal coupling reactions for driving the <i>in situ</i> formation of phospholipid membranes and concomitant spontaneous reconstitution of a variety of membrane proteins, with retention of functionality. These studies give us a deeper understanding of the nature of living systems that could bring new insights into the origin of cellular life, and provide novel synthetic chassis for advancing synthetic biology.

Biomimetic construction of phospholipid membranes

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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