Issue 6, 2018

A modular approach for multifunctional polymersomes with controlled adhesive properties

Abstract

The bottom-up approach in synthetic biology involves the engineering of synthetic cells by designing biological and chemical building blocks, which can be combined in order to mimic cellular functions. The first step for mimicking a living cell is the design of an appropriate compartment featuring a multifunctional membrane. This is of particular interest since it allows for the selective attachment of different groups or molecules to the membrane. In this context, we report on a modular approach for polymeric vesicles, so-called polymersomes, with a multifunctional surface, namely hydroxyl, alkyne and acrylate groups. We demonstrate that the surface of the polymersome can be functionalized to facilitate imaging, via fluorescent dyes, or to improve the specific adhesion to surfaces by using a biotin functionalization. This generally applicable multifunctionality allows for the covalent integration of various molecules in the membrane of a synthetic cell.

Graphical abstract: A modular approach for multifunctional polymersomes with controlled adhesive properties

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Sep 2017
Accepted
15 Dec 2017
First published
15 Dec 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2018,14, 894-900

A modular approach for multifunctional polymersomes with controlled adhesive properties

J. Petit, L. Thomi, J. Schultze, M. Makowski, I. Negwer, K. Koynov, S. Herminghaus, F. R. Wurm, O. Bäumchen and K. Landfester, Soft Matter, 2018, 14, 894 DOI: 10.1039/C7SM01885A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements