In between the first day (left) and day 14 (right), plant cells 3D printed in hydrogel grow and begin flourishing into yellow clusters. Credit: Adapted from ACS Central Science 2024, DOI: 10.1021/ acscentsci.4 c00338New study uses 3D printing and genetically customized plant cells to develop complex, self-repairing products that might revolutionize biomanufacturing and construction.Scientists are utilizing cells to make new types of materials that can grow, repair themselves and even respond to their environment. These strong “engineered living materials” are made by embedding cells in an inanimate matrix thats formed in a preferred shape.Now, researchers report today (May 1) in ACS Central Science that they have 3D printed a bioink consisting of plant cells that were then genetically modified, producing programmable products. Applications could at some point consist of biomanufacturing and sustainable construction.Exploring Plant Cells in Material EngineeringRecently, researchers have actually been establishing engineered living materials, mainly depending on fungal and bacterial cells as the live component. The special functions of plant cells have actually stirred interest for their use in engineered plant living products (EPLMs). Previously, the plant cell-based products produced by researchers have had relatively easy structures and restricted performance. Ziyi Yu, Zhengao Di, and associates wanted to change that by making elaborately shaped EPLMs containing genetically crafted plant cells with customizable behaviors and capabilities.After 24 days, the colors produced by plant cells in two different bioinks printed in this leaf-shaped engineered living product are clearly visible. Credit: Adapted from ACS Central Science 2024, DOI: 10.1021/ acscentsci.4 c00338Innovative 3D Printing TechniquesThe researchers mixed tobacco plant cells with gelatin and hydrogel microparticles that consisted of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a germs frequently utilized to transfer DNA sections into plant genomes.This bioink mixture was then 3D printed on a flat plate or inside a container filled with another gel to form shapes such as grids, snowflakes, leaves, and spirals. Next, the hydrogel in the printed materials was treated with blue light, hardening the structures. Throughout the taking place 48 hours, the bacteria in the EPLMs transferred DNA to the growing tobacco cells.The products were then cleaned with antibiotics to eliminate the germs. In the following weeks, as the plant cells grew and reproduced in the EPLMs, they started producing proteins determined by the moved DNA.Proof-of-Concept and Future ApplicationsIn this proof-of-concept study, the transferred DNA allowed the tobacco plant cells to produce green fluorescent proteins or betalains– yellow or red plant pigments that are valued as dietary supplements and natural colorants. By printing a leaf-shaped EPLM with two different bioinks– one that created red pigment along the veins and the other a yellow pigment in the remainder of the leaf– the researchers revealed that their method might produce complex, spatially managed, and multifunctional structures.Such EPLMs, which combine the traits of living organisms with the stability and resilience of non-living substances, could discover use as cellular factories to produce plant metabolites or pharmaceutical proteins, or perhaps in sustainable construction applications, according to the researchers.Reference: “Advancing Engineered Plant Living Materials through Tobacco BY-2 Cell Growth and Transfection within Tailored Granular Hydrogel Scaffolds” 1 May 2024, ACS Central Science.DOI: 10.1021/ acscentsci.4 c00338The authors acknowledge funding from National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and the State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering.