A gene-directed chemical communication pathway between synthetic protocell signaling transmitters (lipid vesicles) and receivers (proteinosomes) was designed, built and tested using a bottom-up modular approach comprising small molecule transcriptional control, cell-free gene expression, porin-directed efflux, substrate signaling, and enzyme cascade-mediated processing.
Keywords: cell-free expression; communication; enzyme cascade; genetic switches; lipid vesicles; proteinosomes; α-hemolysin.