Volume 55, Issue 43 pp. 13475-13479
Communication

Sequestration of Proteins by Fatty Acid Coacervates for Their Encapsulation within Vesicles

David Garenne

David Garenne

UMR 1332, biologie et pathologie du fruit, INRA, centre de Bordeaux, 33883 Villenave O'Ornon, France

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Dr. Laure Beven

Dr. Laure Beven

UMR 1332, biologie et pathologie du fruit, INRA, centre de Bordeaux, 33883 Villenave O'Ornon, France

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Dr. Laurence Navailles

Dr. Laurence Navailles

Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Paul-Pascal, CNRS, av. A. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France

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Prof. Frédéric Nallet

Prof. Frédéric Nallet

Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Paul-Pascal, CNRS, av. A. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France

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Dr. Erick J. Dufourc

Dr. Erick J. Dufourc

Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-objects, UMR 5248, CNRS, université de Bordeaux, Institut polytechnique Bordeaux, 33600 Pessac, France

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Dr. Jean-Paul Douliez

Corresponding Author

Dr. Jean-Paul Douliez

UMR 1332, biologie et pathologie du fruit, INRA, centre de Bordeaux, 33883 Villenave O'Ornon, France

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First published: 23 September 2016
Citations: 79

Graphical Abstract

Vesicular microreactors: Fatty acid based, membrane-free coacervates spontaneously sequester proteins and can reversibly form membranous vesicles upon changing the pH value, which leads to protein encapsulation within the vesicles. These micrometric capsules also provide a suitable environment for enzymatic reactions.

Abstract

Encapsulating biological materials in lipid vesicles is of interest for mimicking cells; however, except in some particular cases, such processes do not occur spontaneously. Herein, we developed a simple and robust method for encapsulating proteins in fatty acid vesicles in high yields. Fatty acid based, membrane-free coacervates spontaneously sequester proteins and can reversibly form membranous vesicles upon varying the pH value, the precrowding feature in coacervates allowing for protein encapsulation within vesicles. We then produced enzyme-enriched vesicles and show that enzymatic reactions can occur in these micrometric capsules. This work could be of interest in the field of synthetic biology for building microreactors.

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