Characterization of Fatty Acid Coated Polymer/Nucleotide Droplets

Abstract:

The transition from non-living to living matter has been reported can be achieved in the laboratory via designing and constructing the protocell models [1]. Protocell is a study of origin of life theory whereby it is not a true cell, but a term used to refer to early cells or primitive cells. There are two types of protocell model; vesicles and coacervates. Vesicles are biological membranes; provide a semi-permeable boundary between the internal and external environment of a cell and are constructed via self-assembly of lipid and fatty acid molecules [2-5]. While vesicles are made of self-assembly of lipid molecules, coacervates are mixtures of two or more polymers in aqueous solution that spontaneously phase separated to form droplets. Coacervate droplets ^have been proposed as a potential alternative protocell model because of compartmentalization properties [6-11].

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 840)
• Pages: 213-219
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.840.213
• Online since: January 2016
• Authors: Cik Rohaida Che Hak*, Shogo Koga, T.Y.D. Tang, S. Mann
• Keywords: Coacervate Droplets, Fatty Acid, Self-Assembly

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