Investigation of artificial cells containing the Par system for bacterial plasmid segregation and inheritance mimicry

A crucial step in life processes is the transfer of accurate and correct genetic material to offspring. During the construction of autonomous artificial cells, a very important step is the inheritance of genetic information in divided artificial cells. The ParMRC system, as one of the most representative systems for DNA segregation in bacteria, can be purified and reconstituted into GUVs to form artificial cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the eGFP gene is segregated into two poles by a ParM filament with ParR as the intermediate linker to bind ParM and parC -eGFP DNA in artificial cells. After the ParM filament splits, the cells are externally induced to divide into two daughter cells that contain parC -eGFP DNA by osmotic pressure and laser irradiation. Using a PURE system, we translate eGFP DNA into enhanced green fluorescent proteins in daughter cells, and bacterial plasmid segregation and inheritance are successfully mimicked in artificial cells. Our results could lead to the construction of more sophisticated artificial cells that can reproduce with genetic information. The accurate inheritance of the genetic material in offsprings is crucial for life. Here, the authors reported an artificial cell capable of the dynamic mimicry of the plasmid segregation process as well as the gene inheritance after division.