The minimal chemotactic cell

Abstract

The movement of cells and microorganisms in response to chemical gradients (chemotaxis) has played an essential role in the evolution of many biological processes. Cellular navigation works via the holistic assembly of numerous components into machineries that transform chemical energy into locomotion. Herein we present and discuss the minimal elements required for cell-like vesicles to be chemotactic. We show that lipid vesicles can propel themselves in response to chemical gradients when only a transmembrane protein and an encapsulated enzyme are incorporated into the vesicle structure. The herein proposed model serves as a proof of concept to show that even the simplest cell-like structure can experience chemotactic navigation.