Scientists construct energy production unit for a synthetic cell
(PHYSorg.com Biology)

Scientists at the University of Groningen have constructed synthetic vesicles in which ATP, the main energy carrier in living cells, is produced. The vesicles use the ATP to maintain their volume and their ionic strength homeostasis. This metabolic network will eventually be used in the creation of synthetic cells-but it can already be used to study ATP-dependent processes. The researchers described the synthetic system in an article that was published in Nature Communications on 18 September.