Signal Transduction in Artificial Cells

Abstract In recent years, significant progress has been made in the emerging field of constructing biomimetic soft compartments with life‐like behaviors. Given that biological activities occur under a flux of energy and matter exchange, the implementation of rudimentary signaling pathways in artificial cells (protocells) is a prerequisite for the development of adaptive sense‐response phenotypes in cytomimetic models. Herein, recent approaches to the integration of signal transduction modules in model protocells prepared by bottom‐up construction are discussed. The approaches are classified into two categories involving invasive biochemical signals or non‐invasive physical stimuli. In the former mechanism, transducers with intrinsic recognition capability respond with high specificity, while in the latter, artificial cells respond through intra‐protocellular energy transduction. Although major challenges remain in the pursuit of a sophisticated artificial signaling network for the orchestration of higher‐order cytomimetic models, significant advances have been made in establishing rudimentary protocell communication networks, providing novel organizational models for the development of life‐like microsystems and new avenues in protoliving technologies.