Triggered Gene Expression in Fed-Vesicle Microreactors with a Multifunctional Membrane

A minimal gene expression machinery has been encapsulated within large lipid vesicles that are immobilized on a microscope coverslip for fluorescence imaging (see picture). The engineered vesicle membrane acts as an exchange platform that enables the uptake of all necessary nutrients and tRNAs supplied in the outside environment, which initiates the internal synthesis of green fluorescent proteins (GFP) from a DNA template. Red: membrane dye, green: synthesized GFP.