Researchers Have Now Explored the Inorganic Creation of Artificial Organelles
If you have studied biology at the graduate level, then you must already be familiar with the term “artificial organelles.”
Scientists can generate artificial organelles courtesy of exosome fusion. And, these artificial organelles can then operate as energy reserves in the tissues, which get damaged.
The human body is the most complex machine that can ever exist. A fundamental unit of the human body is called a cell. And, one cell consists of numerous kinds of organelles, which aid in the functioning of complicated biochemical reactions. The compartments in the cells termed “organelles” are further divided into different enzymes, which perform significant cellular functions.
Now, researchers based in South Korea, working for IBS in the Center for Soft and Living Matter, have comprehensively created these nano cellular compartments and have thus achieved the creation of a first-ever “artificial mitochondria.” The study details have been entailed in the latest paper rolled out by IBS, in the cover article of Nature Catalysis.
It has led to the invention of a new branch of biotechnology. The paper predicts that this technology can be extensively developed and can be used to form artificial organelles. These inorganically constructed artificial organelles can then aid in supplying ATP and other molecules to ease out the damaged or non-operational tissue.
Now, you must wonder what are “exosomes.” These are essentially used for intercellular signaling. They are vesicle-like structures about 120 nm in diameter. The central part of the research work was the reprogramming of this same part of a cell. In the experiment work, the scientists used reactors called “microfluidic droplets.” Thus, scientists were then able to create nanodroplets about the same size as the cell. As we know, the average diameter of a cell is 10 nm.
Initially, the purpose of the scientists was to achieve the controlled fusion reaction of exosomes in the created droplets. The researchers wanted to do it without facilitating any not-required fusion reactions. The scientists used a simple trick to do this. They utilized the method of tailoring the surfaces with the help of a particular type of molecule called catechol. Catechol is a chelating agent, and its unique characteristic is that it forms complex molecules with metal ions.
Scientists took special care in attaching catechol on antibodies that specifically attack cell markers like CD9. The catechol acts as a catalyst and paves for complex molecules when the exosomes contact metal ions such as Iron (chemical symbol- Fe3+).
According to the paper, the scientists observed the fusion of membranes when the catechol molecules present on the surfaces achieved chemical binding with Iron ions and brought exosomes vesicles in the vicinity of one another.
The researchers in South Korea also tested this method by using EDTA and calcein with co2+(chemical symbol- carbon monoxide with two spare electrons). The technique’s effectiveness was comprehensively tested with two different exosomes and two other metal ions, EDTA and calcein-co2+. In this experiment, EDTA comprehensively attracts co2+ away from the calcein metal, thus resulting in the fluorescence of the fluorenone.
The successful completion of the experiment was affirmed when the scientists detected and verified the fluorescence signal. The realization was further confirmed when the scientists measured the diameter of the resultant exosome. In the end, the diameter was almost double relative to what was estimated earlier.
Damaged tissue and damaged cells can render all sorts of problems to a human body, resulting in various muscle problems. However, with advancements in biotechnology, scientists are figuring out ways to duplicate the functions of the cells to mitigate specific tissue problems. Now, researchers based in South Korea have experimented with the creation of artificial organelles.
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