Bio-catalytic nanocompartments for in situ production of glucose-6-phosphate

Cells are sophisticated biocatalytic systems driving a complex network of biochemical reactions. A bioinspired strategy to create advanced functional systems is to design confined spaces for complex enzymatic reactions by using a combination of synthetic polymer assemblies and natural cell components. Here, we developed bio-catalytic nanocompartments that contain phosphoglucomutase protected by a biomimetic polymer membrane, which was permeabilized for reactants through insertion of an engineered α-hemolysin pore protein. These bio-catalytic nanocompartments serve for production of glucose-6-phosphate, and thus possess great potential for applications in an incomplete glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, or in plant biological reactions.