Construction of protocell-based artificial signal transduction pathways

Abstract

The maintenance of an orderly and controllable multicellular society depends on the communication and signal regulation between various types of biological cells. How to replicate complicated signal transduction pathways in synthetic protocellular communities remains a key challenge in bottom-up synthetic biology. Herein, we review recent advances in the design and construction of interactive protocell communities, or protocell communities and biological communities, and explore the ways of designing and constructing artificial paracrine-like signaling pathways and juxtacrine-like signaling pathways. Key molecules involved in the signaling pathways that can be used to connect two or more spatially separated communities, and diverse signal outputs generated by the communication are summarized. We also propose the limitations, challenges and opportunities in this field.