A New Tool for Cell Biologists for Creating Synthetic Cell Membranes

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes a new approach for creating synthetic cell membrane mimics. Using a new approach for "click" chemistry, researchers designed self-organizing nanovesicles that can have their surfaces decorated with similar sugar molecules as viruses, bacteria, or living cells. The result of a collaboration between Penn, Temple University, the Max Planck Institute, the Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, RWTH Aachen University, and Freie Universitat Berlin, this work provides a new tool for studying how certain pathogens, such as the novel coronavirus, can evade detection by a host's immune system.

The outer layers of cells are decorated with proteins, lipids, and sugar molecules that are used for communicating with and recognizing other cells. One of the most common types of sugars is mannose, which is found in long, branched chains and is also connected to other biomolecules. These oligomannoses are also commonly found on bacteria and viruses and are thought to help pathogens avoid being detected by a host's immune system; however, the precise way that these sugars help pathogens evade detection is not well understood.

One approach to study cellular interactions is to create synthetic cells that can have customized sequences of sugars or proteins, allowing scientists to answer specific questions about how cells work. Previous research by the same team used these synthetic cells to better understand how short-chain sugars act as "communication channels." Now, using these same cell mimics, the researchers were interested in understanding the role of complex sugars, including oligomannose, which are more akin to what's prevalent on cell and pathogen surfaces.

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