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Passive endocytosis in model protocells.

Stephanie J ZhangLauren A LowePalapuravan AneesYamuna KrishnanThomas G FaiJack W SzostakAnna Wang
Published in: bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (2023)
Semipermeable membranes are a key feature of all living organisms. While specialized membrane transporters in cells can import otherwise impermeable nutrients, the earliest cells would have lacked a mechanism to import nutrients rapidly under nutrient-rich circumstances. Using both experiments and simulations, we find that a process akin to passive endocytosis can be recreated in model primitive cells. Molecules that are too impermeable to be absorbed can be taken up in a matter of seconds in an endocytic vesicle. The internalized cargo can then be slowly released over hours, into the main lumen or putative cytoplasm. This work demonstrates a way by which primitive life could have broken the symmetry of passive permeation prior to the evolution of protein transporters.
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