Dynamic monitoring of a bi-enzymatic reaction at a single biomimetic giant vesicle

Giant unilamellar vesicles were used as individual biomimetic micro-reactors wherein a model bi-enzymatic reaction involving a glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was monitored by confocal microscopy. These giant vesicles were formed from a natural mix of phospholipids in physiological conditions of pH and osmolarity (phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, 330 mOsm). The so-called Amplex Red assay, which generates the highly fluorescent resorufin species, was performed in individual vesicles and used to report on the progress of the whole reaction. We aimed at controlling kinetically and quantitatively the different steps of the bi-enzymatic reaction in vesicles. To do so, substrates (glucose and Amplex Red) were provided in individual reactors by two ways. Electro-microinjection allowed the control of volume variations owing to a reservoir of lipids connected to the vesicle membrane. Alternatively, substrates could passively diffuse from the outer solution to the vesicle compartment. The semi-permeability feature of the phospholipid membrane was characterized for all substrates and products while we demonstrated that enzymes remain sequestrated in the vesicles after their injection. The Amplex Red assay was thus achieved in individual vesicles under steady-state conditions, and could pursue over tens of minutes. Such giant vesicles are stable, fully compatible with media used for bioanalyses and allow out-of-equilibrium reactions at time scales compatible with living reaction dynamics, making them a good choice for the development of minimal cell-like systems.