Looking Back To Move Forward: Studying the Ancient Archaeal Cdv Cell Division Machinery for Synthetic Cells

All living organisms share the need to replicate and proliferate to ensure the survival of their species. In prokaryotes, this is generally guaranteed by a process of cell division where a mother cell is split into two equally sized daughter cells, and it is a complex and heterogeneous process across all the different species. When looking into...

Biosynthesis of protein filaments for the creation of a minimal cell

Humanity has achieved to decipher the most fundamental mechanics of cellular life. Nevertheless, despite intense efforts there are still considerable gaps in our understanding of cellular processes. Traditionally, biologists investigate life by observation of existing lifeforms. In order to assign functions to biological components, it is common...