On the enzymatic provision of redox power in synthetic cells

The development of artificial systems mimicking the essential properties of living cells is one of the most intriguing areas of research of the last decades. By rationally assembling the fundamental molecular building blocks through a bottom-up approach, it should be possible to create a cell-like system capable of self-sustaining, growing and replicating. Among the hundreds of enzymatic biochemical reactions necessary for an effective minimal metabolism, are the redox reactions. The reducing equivalents are transferred from one reactant to another through the action of soluble coenzymes, namely the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides NAD(H) and NAD(P)H. Strategies that ensure the lasting regeneration of the redox status of these cofactors are therefore crucial for the construction of a functioning compartmentalized metabolic network. This thesis focuses on the reactants and in particular the enzymes suitable for the provision of reducing power in synthetic cells.