Dynamin A as a one-component division machinery for synthetic cells
Nicola De Franceschi (TU Delft - Applied Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft)
Roman Barth (TU Delft - Applied Sciences, Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft)
Sabrina Meindlhumer (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Alessio Fragasso (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Cees Dekker (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
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Abstract
Membrane abscission, the final cut of the last connection between emerging daughter cells, is an indispensable event in the last stage of cell division and in other cellular processes such as endocytosis, virus release or bacterial sporulation. However, its mechanism remains poorly understood, impeding its application as a cell-division machinery for synthetic cells. Here we use fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements to study the in vitro reconstitution of the bacterial protein dynamin A inside liposomes. Upon external reshaping of the liposomes into dumbbells, dynamin A self-assembles at the membrane neck, resulting in membrane hemi-scission and even full scission. Dynamin A proteins constitute a simple one-component division machinery capable of splitting dumbbell-shaped liposomes, marking an important step towards building a synthetic cell.