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Nano Research 2022, 15(1): 659-668 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3541-6
Research Article | Issue | Published: 25 June 2021

Pearling and helical nanostructures of model protocell membranes

Show Author's Information Zhidi Chen1,2,  Yaxun Fan1( ),  Yao Chen1,3,  Jeffrey Penfold3,  Peixun Li3,  Rongliang Wu4( ),  Yilin Wang1,2( )
CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS) CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences Institute of Chemistry,Beijing 100190 China
University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100049 China
ISIS STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton DidcotOxon OX11 0QX UK
College of Material Science and Engineering State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials Donghua UniversityShanghai 201620 China
Keywords:
self-assembly, amphiphile, protocell membrane, pearling and helical nanostructures, morphology evolution, biogenic polyamine
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Chen Z, Fan Y, Chen Y, et al. Pearling and helical nanostructures of model protocell membranes. Nano Research, 2022, 15(1): 659-668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3541-6
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

The diversity of protocell membrane structures is crucial for the regulation of cell activities and indispensable to the origin of life. Prior to the evolution of complex cellular machinery, spontaneous protocell membrane evolution results from the intrinsic physicochemical properties of simple molecules under specific environmental conditions. Here, we report the evolution of the morphology of cell-sized model protocell membranes from giant vesicles to pearling and helical nanostructures, resembling morphologies of eukaryocytes, nostoc, and spirilla. This evolution occurs in a single binary aqueous system composed of an achiral single-chain amphiphile and a biogenic polyamine (spermidine or spermine) upon evaporating water, feeding amphiphiles, or increasing pH in response to various primitive fluctuating conditions. In contrast, nonbiogenic polyamines (triamine, triethylenetetramine, and hexamethyltriethylenetetramine) with slight differences in the number of methylene groups or protonated amine groups do not induce such a kind of evolution. The evolution of the shape transformation strongly relies on the balance between electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, attributed to the odd/even effect of polyamines in the assembly. Strikingly, both pearling and helical structures emerge from multilamellar vesicles undergoing different processes, where the helix shows stronger permeability and encapsulation capability due to its multicompartmentalized structure. Thus, subtle adjustment of weak intramolecular interactions not only yields significant changes in the morphological evolution of protocell membranes but also brings new insights into the natural inevitability of biogenic small molecules.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Pearling and helical nanostructures of model protocell membranes

Show Author's information Zhidi Chen1,2, Yaxun Fan1( ), Yao Chen1,3, Jeffrey Penfold3, Peixun Li3, Rongliang Wu4( ), Yilin Wang1,2( )
CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS) CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences Institute of Chemistry,Beijing 100190 China
University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100049 China
ISIS STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton DidcotOxon OX11 0QX UK
College of Material Science and Engineering State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials Donghua UniversityShanghai 201620 China

Abstract

The diversity of protocell membrane structures is crucial for the regulation of cell activities and indispensable to the origin of life. Prior to the evolution of complex cellular machinery, spontaneous protocell membrane evolution results from the intrinsic physicochemical properties of simple molecules under specific environmental conditions. Here, we report the evolution of the morphology of cell-sized model protocell membranes from giant vesicles to pearling and helical nanostructures, resembling morphologies of eukaryocytes, nostoc, and spirilla. This evolution occurs in a single binary aqueous system composed of an achiral single-chain amphiphile and a biogenic polyamine (spermidine or spermine) upon evaporating water, feeding amphiphiles, or increasing pH in response to various primitive fluctuating conditions. In contrast, nonbiogenic polyamines (triamine, triethylenetetramine, and hexamethyltriethylenetetramine) with slight differences in the number of methylene groups or protonated amine groups do not induce such a kind of evolution. The evolution of the shape transformation strongly relies on the balance between electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, attributed to the odd/even effect of polyamines in the assembly. Strikingly, both pearling and helical structures emerge from multilamellar vesicles undergoing different processes, where the helix shows stronger permeability and encapsulation capability due to its multicompartmentalized structure. Thus, subtle adjustment of weak intramolecular interactions not only yields significant changes in the morphological evolution of protocell membranes but also brings new insights into the natural inevitability of biogenic small molecules.

Keywords: self-assembly, amphiphile, protocell membrane, pearling and helical nanostructures, morphology evolution, biogenic polyamine

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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 06 March 2021
Revised: 21 April 2021
Accepted: 26 April 2021
Published: 25 June 2021
Issue date: January 2022

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© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21972149 and 21988102).

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