Multicompartmentalized Microreactors Containing Nuclei and Catalase-Loaded Liposomes.

Multicompartmentalized microreactors are considered as cell mimics with hierarchical structures inspired by mammalian cells. We report the successful assembly and encapsulation of purified nuclei from RAW 264.7 cells (pNuc) into alginate-based microreactors. We demonstrate the preserved function of nuclei within the microreactors for mRNA production. Further, we load catalase-loaded liposomes (Lcat) into the microreactors to break down hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) into oxygen and water. Assemblies containing both natural pNuc and synthetic Lcat show significantly higher mRNA production in the presence of H2 O2 compared to microreactors without Lcat or no H2 O2 present, suggesting a beneficial effect of the locally enzymatically produced oxygen for transcription. This novel type of microreactors, containing both natural and synthetic compartments, presents a substantial advancement from assemblies equipped with solely synthetic units and offers opportunities as hypoxia models or for cell-free protein synthesis.