Description of Research Area

Composite Vesicles toward a Nonequilibrium Cell-Model System

Research Subject

Living cells are enclosed by lipid membranes and dynamically change the membrane structure in response to internal and external stimuli. The coupling between chemical reactions of constituent molecules and membrane dynamics is essential for cells. In order to understand the physical principle that underlies biological cellular systems, it is important to investigate the dynamical motion of composite soft matter systems under nonequilibrium conditions. We succeeded to control the functional dynamics of lipid membranes. In this study, we produce a cell-model system using composite vesicles with DNA, colloids and proteins under nonequilibrium conditions. We then clarify the physical mechanism to produce dynamical functions of primitive cellular motion, and the relationship between nonequilibrium fluctuation and structures.