Compartmentalization as a ubiquitous feature of life: from origins of life to biomimetics

Abstract

Life is hypothesized to have emerged in a heterogenous prebiotic soup that potentially comprised a variety of chemical moieties. One relevant consideration in this scenario is that of dilution of pertinent molecules, which would impinge on the emergence and functioning of a self-sustaining chemical machinery. Given this, encapsulation of molecules within a compartment is considered a prerequisite for the origin, sustenance and evolution of living systems. This review discusses two well-studied prebiotically plausible minimal compartment models—membrane-bound liposomes and membraneless liquid–liquid phase separated (LLPS) compartments. Such minimally complex compartments can be used to mimic biomimetic properties like molecular crowding, diffusion of molecules, tunable physical architecture, etc. using a bottom-up approach. The relative ease of tunability of these systems, and their semblance to extant cells, can be used to study a vast array of fundamental processes like metabolism, growth and division using them. In this backdrop, we connect the fundamental role of compartments in origin of life processes with cellular biomimetics, using a synthetic systems biology perspective. More recently, concocting multi-layered hierarchical architecture in protocells has been possible that better mimic cellular spatiotemporal segregation. This overarching review thus bridges fundamental research involving soft matter boundary systems, with translational synthetic biology and biomimetic research.