Polymer giant vesicles are helpful on a molecular basis for a better understanding of static and dynamic morphologies of biomembranes. This paper describes the fabrication of dynamic morphologies using polymer vesicles. The normally biconcave discoid erythrocytes respond to environmental stresses to transform into many different shapes. Poly(methacrylic acid)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate-random-methacrylic acid), PMA-b-P(BMA-r-MA), in a 70% aqueous methanol solution self-assembled into spherocyte-like spherical vesicles with a dimple. The dimpled vesicles transformed into echinocyte-like crenate vesicles when heated. Increasing the vesicle concentration changed the dimpled vesicles into stomatocyte-like cup-shaped vesicles. These transformations were reversible and repeatable. The morphology was also dependent on the methanol concentration. A decrease in the methanol concentration to 60% increased the number of discocyte-like and knizocyte-like vesicles. A further decrease to 50% produced a low number of stomato II-acanthocyte-like and torocyte-like vesicles. The concentration below 40% prevented the vesicles from transforming. The polymer vesicles of PMA-b-P(methyl methacrylate-r-MA) were also valuable as an artificial model for the neurite extension of neurons. The nerve cell initially extends several short processes, then elongates one of the neurites to form the axon, while the remaining processes slowly grow and branch into dendrites on the cell. The spherical vesicles projected many processes on their surface when supplied with the vesicle component of the diblock copolymer by the controlled/living radical polymerization. As the polymerization progressed, only one or two of the processes extended to the thick tubules, accompanied by the slow growth of thin tubules. Further polymerization progress branched the tubules. The vesicles were similar to the neurons in the tubule extension for the initial projection followed by elongation and branching. These findings indicate that synthetic polymer vesicles can create dynamic activities of living cells, which helps elucidate how inanimate objects acquired life.

Polymer giant vesicles as artificial models for dynamic biomembranes

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