DNA‐Mediated Protein Shuttling between Coacervate‐Based Artificial Cells

The regulation of protein uptake and secretion is crucial for (inter)cellular signaling. Mimicking these molecular events essential when engineering synthetic cellular systems. A first step towards achieving this goal obtaining control over the release proteins from cells in response to an external trigger. Herein, we have developed artificial cell that sequesters releases proteinaceous cargo upon addition a coded chemical signal: single-stranded DNA oligos (ssDNA) were employed independently localization set three different ssDNA-modified proteins. signal allows multiple iterations triggered release, amount rate sequential This signaling concept was furthermore used directionally transfer between two populations, providing novel directions lifelike communication pathways inside higher order (proto)cellular structures.