Approaches toward Artificial Cell Construction and Applications
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthetic Biology and Systems Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2018) | Viewed by 47889
Special Issue Editor
Interests: the early evolution of life; the origin of life; artificial cell construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent advancements in biochemical techniques have enabled us to develop artificial systems with various biological functions in vitro, from basic functions, such as transcription, translation, genome replication, and lipid membrane formation, to higher-level functions, such as the expression of genes in a network, signaling through pathways, mechanisms that promote robustness, and adaptation to specific environments. One of the ultimate goals of such studies would be to construct an artificial cell. Through the construction, we can explore the boundaries between living and nonliving entities, yielding important information on the origin of life and the principles that govern it. In addition, the technologies that will need to be developed to construct artificial cells, “artificial cell technologies”, have the potential to be applied to other fields, such as evolutionary engineering, biocompatible micromachines, and new materials. This Special Issue focuses on this challenging new field.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses all studies related to the construction of artificial cell-like systems and their parts, including replication systems, gene expression systems, metabolic systems, lipid membranes, and related cellular functions. The scope also includes chemical systems that mimic functions of biological systems. Theoretical or computational reports, reviews, and perspectives are all welcome.
I hope this Special Issue will contribute to the development of this new field.
Dr. Norikazu Ichihashi
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- artificial cell
- in vitro system
- liposome
- vesicle
- replication
- translation
- transcription
- metabolism
- the origin of life
- the principles of life
- artificial life
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.