ArticleNature communications2026
DNA affects the phenotype of fuel-dependent coacervate droplets.
Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Elucidating the Reciprocal Interplay between Supramolecular Polymer Cytoskeletons and Fuel-Dependent Synthetic Cells.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026Article
- Decoding nucleic acid contributions to phase separation and ordering in biomolecular condensates.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Chemically Fueled, Active Droplets Prevent the Aging of Peptides into Amyloid-Like Fibers.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Synthetic cells emulate fundamental biological behaviors, like growth, metabolism, and mobility, but have lacked genotype-driven selection, which is essential for Darwinian evolution. Here, we introduce libraries of short DNA sequences as genotypes into fuel-dependent peptide-RNA-based coacervate droplets, serving as synthetic cells. By sequencing, we identify sequences that partition in the droplets, revealing strong preferences for guanine-rich and adenine-rich motifs. These sequences affect the synthetic cell phenotype-adenine-rich sequences shorten droplet lifetimes through hybridization. In contrast, guanine-rich sequences kinetically trap droplets via peptide interactions, altering dissolution rates and morphology. This study demonstrates how genotype affects phenotype in synthetic cells, establishing essential design principles for achieving Darwinian evolution in minimal protocellular systems.
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Registered trials
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