Functionalized nanocompartments (Synthosomes): limitations and prospective applications in industrial biotechnology

Synthosomes are mechanically stable vesicles with a block copolymer membrane and an engineered transmembrane protein acting as selective gate. The polymer vesicles are nanometer-sized (50-1000 nm) and functionalized by loading them with enzymes for bioconversions or encapsulating charged macromolecules for selective compound recovery/release. The Synthosome system might become a novel technology platform for biocatalysis and selective product recovery. Progress in Synthosome research comprises employed block copolymers, transmembrane channel engineering, and functionalizations, which are discussed here in detail. The challenges in transmembrane protein engineering, as well as cost-effective production, in block copolymer design and the state of the art in Synthosome characterization comprising quantification of encapsulated protein, translocation efficiency, number of transmembrane channels per vesicle, and enzyme kinetics are also presented and discussed. An assessment of the Synthosome technology platform for prospective applications in industrial (white) biotechnology concludes this review.