Genetically Encoded Membranes for Bottom‐Up Biology

The front cover artwork is provided by Marisa A. Goetzfried, Technical University of Munich. The image illustrates dynamic peptide vesicles investigated in our group. The background displays a fluorescence‐bright‐field overlay micrograph of giant peptide vesicles. Read the full text of the Concept article at 10.1002/syst.201900016. “The creation of self‐replicating cell‐mimicking systems – artificial cells – is one of the major goals of bottom‐up synthetic biology. An essential aspect of such systems is the realization of membranous compartments which can grow and divide in synchrony with the internal dynamics of the cells. Herein, we discuss typical approaches taken for the creation of cell‐like microcompartments via self‐assembly of amphiphiles …” This and more about the story behind the front cover can be found in the Concept article at 10.1002/syst.201900016.