Image-based phenotypic sorting of synthetic cells

Understanding the relationships between genotype and phenotype is key to many areas of biological research and to the development of synthetic cells. We describe an image-based screening and sorting workflow that explores the phenotypes of gene-expressing vesicles within nonclonal populations and selects the desired variants. Using automated confocal microscopy and real-time, neural-network-assisted image analysis, we demonstrate that liposomes can be selected for fluorescence intensity, protein localization, membrane morphology, and dynamic behaviors, and their phenotype can be linked to genetic content. This approach could substantially accelerate the evolution of cellular functions in a minimal synthetic context.