A Sustainable and Efficient Artificial Microgel System: Toward Creating a Configurable Synthetic Cell

Abstract Artificial cells are a powerful platform in the study of synthetic biology and other valuable fields. They share a great potential in defining and utilizing the superiority of the living system. Here, a protein synthesis system based on thermal responsive hydrogels with porous structure is reported. The hydrogels can immobilize plasmids on the surface inside their porous structure through a volume phase transition upon 34 °C, forming an aggregation state of DNAs as in nature conditions. The artificial microgels can carry out bioreactions in cell‐free systems and exhibit a sustainable and efficient performance for protein translation. The protein synthesis level reaches a maximum of twice more than that in a conventional solution system when the plasmid concentration is 10–20 ng µL⁻¹, along with a doubled effective interval. This is perhaps attributed to confined transcription and translation processes in the near‐surface area of hydrogels. Summarily, the research provides an easy‐handling approach in fabricating effective microgels for cell‐free synthesis and also inspirations for constructing a configurable artificial cell.