Model system of self-reproducing vesicles.

Development of self-reproducing vesicle systems is the first step for autopoietic cycles. We established a model self-reproducing vesicle system without the membrane molecule synthesis route. The model vesicle composed of cylinder- and inverse-cone-shaped lipids formed inclusion vesicles inside the mother vesicle, and the inclusion vesicles were then expelled by a temperature cycling. By changing the vesicle composition, the mother vesicles showed a budding-type self-reproduction pathway. A key concept of this system is the coupling of the main-chain transition and the shape of lipids.