LAUSR

The spontaneous assembly of nanoscale building blocks into continuous semi-permeable membranes is a key requirement for the structuration of synthetic protocells. Engineering the functionality and programmability of these building units provides a step towards more complex cell-like entities with adaptive membrane properties. Inspired by the central role of protein (lectin)-carbohydrate interactions in cellular recognition and adhesion, we fabricate semi-permeable polysaccharide-polymer microcapsules (polysaccharidosomes) with intrinsic lectin-binding properties. We employ amphiphilic polysaccharide-polymer membrane building blocks endowed with intrinsic bio-orthogonal lectin-glycan recognition sites to facilitate the reversible non-covalent docking of functionalized polymer or zeolitic nanoparticles on the polysaccharidosomes. We show that the programmed attachment of enzyme-loaded nanoparticles gives rise to a membrane-gated spatially localized cascade reaction within the protocells due to the thermoresponsiveness of the polysaccharidosome membrane, and demonstrate that extended closely packed networks are produced via reversible lectin-mediated adhesion between the protocells. Our results provide a step towards nanoscale engineering of bioinspired cell-like materials and could have longer term applications in synthetic virology, protobiology and micro-biosensor and micro-bioreactor technologies.