Pohorille and Deamer

One of the earliest attempts to describe the DNA/proteins minimal cell was by Morowitz (1967). Based on the enzymatic components of primary metabolism, Morowitz estimated that the size of a minimal cell should be about one-tenth smaller than mycoplasma. There were earlier significant insights to the field by Dyson (1982) as well as by Woese (1983) and Jay and Gilbert (1987). More recently, the reviews by Deamer and coworkers (Pohorille and Deamer, 2002) together with other researchers (Ono and Ikegami, 2000 Luisi, 2002a Oberholzer and Luisi, 2002) have sharpened the question and brought it into the perspective of the modern molecular tools. 

Similar criteria for a protocell were suggested by Pohorille and Deamer [18]. It is instructive to look at their list ... 

Pohorille, A. and Deamer, D. (2002). Artificial cells prospects for biotechnology. Trends Biotech., 20, 123-8. 

Pohorille, A., New, M. H., Schweighofer, K. and Wilson, M. A. (1999). Insights from computer simulations into the interactions of small molecules with lipid bilayers. In Membrane Permeability, Vol. 48 100 Years Since Ernest Overton, eds. Deamer, D. W., Kleinzeller, A. and Fambrough, D. M., Academic Press, San Diego pp. 50-76. 

A, Pohorille, M.H, New, K. Schweighofer, and M.A. Wilson. Computer simulations of small molecules in membranes. In D.W. Deamer (ed.). Membrane Permeability 100 years since Ernst Overton, Current Topics in Membranes. Academic Press, San Diego, 1998. 

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