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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Aug 6.
Published in final edited form as: Adv Healthc Mater. 2017 Dec 28;7(9):e1701163. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201701163

Figure 1. Protocells: Artificial, cell-like protein producing particles.

Figure 1

(A) A schematic representation of the process of producing protocells in the laboratory. A bacterial cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system is loaded into self-assembled lipid vesicles. At first, CFPS micelles are formed in a mineral oil (step 2). Centrifugation enables transforming the protein producing micelles into liposomes, by adding a lipid leaflet to the outer leaflet of the micelles (steps 3 and 4). (B) Protein synthesis in CFPS micelles. Confocal microscopy images of green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) as it is being produced inside CFPS micelles over a period of 60-minutes.