On-chip reconstitution of an FtsZ-based divisome for synthetic cells

Cell replication is a fascinating biological process that ensures the proliferation of a species via division of a mother cell into two daughter ones. This process in bacteria is performed by a complex protein machinery named the Z-ring, which assembles at the cell mid-plane and promotes progressive membrane constriction down to division. A...

Shape and Size Control of Artificial Cells for Bottom-Up Biology

Bottom-up biology is an expanding research field that aims to understand the mechanisms underlying biological processes via in vitro assembly of their essential components in synthetic cells. As encapsulation and controlled manipulation of these elements is a crucial step in the recreation of such cell-like objects, microfluidics is...