Peptide-Oleate Complexes Create Novel Membrane-Bound Compartments.
Hansen JS., Tran TH., Cavalera M., Paul S., Chaudhuri A., Lindkvist-Petersson K., Ho JCS., Svanborg C.
A challenging question in evolutionary theory is the origin of cell division and plausible molecular mechanisms involved. Here, we made the surprising observation that complexes formed by short alpha-helical peptides and oleic acid can create multiple membrane-enclosed spaces from a single lipid vesicle. The findings suggest that such complexes may contain the molecular information necessary to initiate and sustain this process. Based on these observations, we propose a new molecular model to understand protocell division.