Molecular origins of motile behaviour in life-like systems

Movement is essential for life, from single cells to complex organisms. From the swimming of bacteria to the crawling of cells, movement allows organisms to explore, adapt, and survive. Understanding how movement arose at the very beginning of life, when the first compartments formed, also helps guide the recreation of similar behaviors in synthetic cell-like systems today.

In her thesis, Beatrice Marincioni studies how simple droplets – used as models of primitive compartments – can move autonomously. Their movement is powered by gradients in interfacial tension. By changing experimental conditions at the interface, such as the type of salt or lipid present, their speed and direction can be tuned, much like adjusting the fuel of a tiny engine.

Marincioni also investigated how early Earth conditions might have produced the first building blocks of cell membranes. By shining UV light on simple hydrocarbons, she was able to form fatty acids that not only stabilize droplets but also self-assemble into vesicles, the precursors of modern cell membranes.

Finally, Marincioni explored how molecular features such as chirality or internal structuring influence droplet movement. Together, these studies show how motility can emerge in simple, lifelike systems, offering clues to how the earliest protocells might have formed and gained the ability to move and interact with their environment, and providing guidance for designing synthetic cell-like systems with controlled movement today.

Read also: Fundamental research with life-size effects

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/ee99f23e-44ef-4778-95bd-41b0560c503d