Fig. 2: Communication pathways in synthetic cell/living cell consortia.
From: Chemical communication at the synthetic cell/living cell interface

Three modes of chemical communication are shown involving distributed populations and through-space signal processing, nested populations, and embedded signaling, and interfacially connected populations, and contact-dependent signaling pathways. Only unidirectional modes between sender synthetic cells (red) and receiver living cells (green) are shown. Through-space diffusion in the external environment is shaded in blue. Unidirectional pathways between transmitter living cells and receiver synthetic cells as well as bilateral communication with positive or negative feedback are also possible. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2020, Wiley-VCH GmbH56.