人工细胞构筑途径研究进展

Research progress on architecture of artificial cells

人工细胞是具有类似细胞结构和功能的人造生命体。作为简化的生命体,人工细胞具有代谢、繁殖等天然细胞的一些特征,同时也具有类似活细胞所具备的吞噬、胞间通讯等细胞行为和功能。模拟细胞的结构和功能,将复杂的细胞结构和功能简单化,从而构筑特定结构和功能的人工细胞是目前研究热点。研究人员采用自上而下和自下而上两种途径构筑人工细胞、自上而下途径主要利用生物学方法对现有生物或基因序列进行重新设计,敲除非必需基因,从而获得具有类似细胞功能的人工细胞;自下而上途径则利用非生命组分的人工模块作为原材料来构筑生命系统。基于人工模块的可操控性和可设计性,采用自下而上的方法构筑人工细胞操作简单、可重复性好。综述了人工细胞自上而下和自下而上的构筑途径,并对自下而上途径中人工细胞的区室化、生长和分化、信息交流和能量供应系统进行总结和分析。

Artificial cells are artificial organisms with similar cell structure and function.As a simplified living body,artificial cells not only have some characteristics of natural cells such as metabolism and reproduction,but also have the cell behavior and function of phagocytosis and intercellular communication similar to living cells.Simulating the structure and function of cells,simplifing the complex structure and function of cells and building specific structure and function of artificial cells are the current research hotspot.Researchers use top-down and bottom-up methods to construct artificial cells.In the top-down method,biological methods are used to redesign existing biological or gene sequences,eliminate unwanted genes,and obtain artificial cells with similar cell functions.In the bottom-up methods,artificial modules of non-biological ingredients are used as raw materials to build biological systems.Based on the operability and designability of industrial modules,the bottom-up approach is used to construct artificial cells with simple operations and good repeatability.The top-down and bottom-up approaches are veviewed for artificial cells,and the compartmentalization,growth and division,information processing,and energy supply systems of artificial are summarized and analyzed cells in the bottom-up approach.