Microfluidic Formation of Monodisperse Coacervate Organelles in Liposomes

Abstract

Coacervates have been widely studied as model compartments in protocell research. Complex coacervates composed of disordered proteins and RNA have also been shown to play an important role in cellular processes. Herein, we report on a microfluidic strategy for constructing monodisperse coacervate droplets encapsulated within uniform unilamellar liposomes. These structures represent a bottom-up approach to hierarchically structured protocells, as demonstrated by storage and release of DNA from the encapsulated coacervates as well as localized transcription.

Keywords: artificial organelles; coacervates; liposomes; microfluidics; phase transitions.