Competitive protein recruitment in artificial cells

Living cells can modulate their response to environmental cues by changing their sensitivities for molecular signals. Artificial cells are promising model platforms to study intercellular communication, but populations with such differentiated behavior remain underexplored. Here, we show the affinity-regulated exchange of proteins in distinct populations of coacervate-based artificial cells via protein-protein interactions (PPI) of the hub protein 14-3-3. By loading different coacervates with different isoforms of 14-3-3, featuring varying PPI affinities, a client peptide is directed to the more strongly recruiting coacervates. By switching affinity of client proteins through phosphorylation, weaker binding partners can be outcompeted for their 14-3-3 binding, inducing their release from artificial cells. Combined, a communication system between coacervates is constructed, which leads to the transport of client proteins from strongly recruiting coacervates to weakly recruiting ones. The results demonstrate that affinity engineering and competitive binding can provide directed protein uptake and exchange between artificial cells.