An important step toward the first cells is thought to have been the collection of certain molecules together to form compartments, and ultimately protocells. These structures would collect molecules such as peptides and nucleic acids together, facilitating life-like functions such as catalytic activity and defining individuals that could be acted on by selection. Today’s living cells make use of both lipid membranes and aqueous phase coexistence to organize their interior volumes. The resulting membrane-bound and membraneless organelles provide microenvironments with different molecular composition, physical properties, and reactivity. To better understand how these physicochemical organizational motifs interact, we are studying simple model systems in which lipid membranes and coacervate droplets coexist. Such studies can provide fundamental insights into principles underlying biological organization and could lead to greater functionality in artificial cells assembled from the bottom up.
Christine D. Keating (Sun,) studied this question.