AUTHOR=Smith Jefferson M. , Chowdhry Razia , Booth Michael J. TITLE=Controlling Synthetic Cell-Cell Communication JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences VOLUME=8 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2021.809945 DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2021.809945 ISSN=2296-889X ABSTRACT=

Synthetic cells, which mimic cellular function within a minimal compartment, are finding wide application, for instance in studying cellular communication and as delivery devices to living cells. However, to fully realise the potential of synthetic cells, control of their function is vital. An array of tools has already been developed to control the communication of synthetic cells to neighbouring synthetic cells or living cells. These tools use either chemical inputs, such as small molecules, or physical inputs, such as light. Here, we examine these current methods of controlling synthetic cell communication and consider alternative mechanisms for future use.