Nano- and Micro- Materials Interfaces for Migratory Artificial Cells

In this project we produced primitive synthetic cells in a laboratory environment and studied their behavior on surfaces. Generally, all surfaces possess energy. These energies are so small that they are only sufficient to affect individual atoms. Artificial cells can be assembled from lipids, which are biological surfactants. These molecules interact very specifically with surfaces. We took advantage of our sophisticated micromanipulation equipment which enables us to look at phenomena on that size scale, and discovered that our artificial cells can change their shape, take new forms and form amazing networks. These networks consist of our artificial cells and tunneling nanotubes which connect them like highways connect cities. The cells in the networks can send molecules to other cells through the tubular connections and also sense the physical conditions of other cells in the network, for example the stress on the membrane. If such networks have excess lipid material, they can send it to the network to reduce the stress in others. If there is a gentle water flow around the artificial cells, they can lift off from the surface, move to other areas and settle down. To our astonishment, we discovered that this is extremely important for the origin of life, because such a system is so simple that it could have easily formed under early Earth condition. We realized that only water, biomolecules and surfaces are required which were in abundance available already 4 billion years ago. The project started as a small group of scientist at the UiO, a PhD student, a postdoc and a principal investigator and when it became clear that this project has an enormous impact in origin of life field, new national and international collaborators joined and the project became a truly interdisciplinary effort combining scientists from molecular biology, material science, physics, geology and planetary sciences. It is not so common that an original hypothesis is produced as result of a project that leads to the formation of a new research field. We achieved this and gained a lot of attention by international experts and media. This project contributed with a small but important key element that can help us to solve one of the biggest scientific questions of our time. How did the first living cell form? Well, most likely with the help of surfaces.

The project results are fundamentally important for the origin of life research. The autonomous artificial cell generation and migration system we discovered is so simple that it could have easily come into existence under early Earth conditions. We realized that only water, relatively simple biomolecules and surfaces are required, which were in abundance available already 4 billion years ago. Our results have a clear impact on the understanding of possible pathways to the first biological cells. There is a distinct migration aspect under such conditions which is required for the evolution/transformation of pre-cellular structures to biological cells. The results of this project have already created a new research field: The impact of interfaces on primitive cells at the origin of life, an angle which has been overlooked for decades. It is not so common that an original hypothesis is produced as result of a fundamental research project, that leads to the formation of a new research field. We achieved this and gained significant attention by international experts and media. The project contributed with a small but important key element that can help us to solve one of the biggest scientific questions of our time: How did the first living cell form? The beginning of life is considered as one of the 10 pending big questions of science. The subject of the development of life on Earth is of exceptionally broad interest. Directly related to these results, the project led to a successful PhD graduate. The postdoctoral fellow, working in the project, received a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship under the Scientia Fellows II programme, which is a major step for her career development.

Biological cells migrate to perform tasks essential for life, and are associated with disease development. During development of an embryo, a special neuron, the growth cone, finds its matching neuron by migrating towards it. Wounds on our skin close by migration of cells at the circumference of the wound. The spreading of malignant tumors occurs through migration of cancer cells. Despite its key roles in these and many others processes, the biophysical mechanisms of cellular migration are currently not sufficiently understood. Many research groups investigate these problems exclusively from a molecular biology perspective, where they manipulate genetic mechanisms suspected of playing a role in migration; and observe if and how the genetically manipulated cells differ from the native ones. Despite of remarkable progress achieved with this approach, one important component of migration has received little attention: the materials-associated processes at the interfaces between a migrating cell and its environment. While migration is occurring, cells continuously interact in a complex manner with the contact areas they establish on surfaces, and the surrounding chemical and physical environment. Migration is highly dependent on how cells perceive the interface they migrate at. This research project adapts a new alternative route of investigation, focusing on the soft- and hard matter solid interfaces, and aims to engineer substrates at the nano- and microscale to study their interaction with simplified, minimal cell models. Learning from nature in this context is one of the most challenging, but also most rewarding targets for technology-oriented research. It has the possibility to address a wider range of health-related challenges associated with migration, and enables new research directions with high application value, such as preventing spreading of cancerous tumors.