From 2D to 3D: Non-Trivial Membrane Transformation in a Flat World

Synthetic cell studies conventionally focus on freely suspended lipid compartments, e.g. micelles and vesicles. This approach is simple and largely satisfactory, but misses the full potential of the 2D fluidic lipid material. On many solid interfaces, non-trivial transformations of biomembrane assemblies occur autonomously. Lipid membrane patches develop into a variety of astonishing morphologies, ranging from unilamellar compartment networks interconnected with nanotubes to densely packed microbial colony-like structures.<br/>In my talk, I will explain how we exploit the tiny energy gain arising from contact of molecular lipid films with solid interfaces to drive the transformation from 2D to 3D assemblies, their architecture, communication and transport properties. The presentation will highlight the implications of the new findings for synthetic cell design, and argue that materials properties-driven autonomous processes on solid interfaces might have had a greater role in the development of life than currently considered.