More Like this

1. Liquid–liquid phase separation in artificial cells

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2018.0032  

   Crowe, Charles D.; Keating, Christine D. (August 2018, Interface Focus)
2. Liquid–liquid phase separation within fibrillar networks

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41528-8  

   Liu, Jason X.; Haataja, Mikko P.; Košmrlj, Andrej; Datta, Sujit S.; Arnold, Craig B.; Priestley, Rodney D. (September 2023, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Complex fibrillar networks mediate liquid–liquid phase separation of biomolecular condensates within the cell. Mechanical interactions between these condensates and the surrounding networks are increasingly implicated in the physiology of the condensates and yet, the physical principles underlying phase separation within intracellular media remain poorly understood. Here, we elucidate the dynamics and mechanics of liquid–liquid phase separation within fibrillar networks by condensing oil droplets within biopolymer gels. We find that condensates constrained within the network pore space grow in abrupt temporal bursts. The subsequent restructuring of condensates and concomitant network deformation is contingent on the fracture of network fibrils, which is determined by a competition between condensate capillarity and network strength. As a synthetic analog to intracellular phase separation, these results further our understanding of the mechanical interactions between biomolecular condensates and fibrillar networks in the cell. 

   more » « less
3. Single-Molecular Dissection of Liquid–Liquid Phase Transitions

   https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c03812  

   Pokhrel, Pravin; Jonchhe, Sagun; Pan, Wei; Mao, Hanbin (August 2023, Journal of the American Chemical Society)
4. Self-assembly coupled to liquid-liquid phase separation

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010652  

   Hagan, Michael F.; Mohajerani, Farzaneh (May 2023, PLOS Computational Biology)

   Zhou, Huan-Xiang (Ed.)

   Liquid condensate droplets with distinct compositions of proteins and nucleic acids are widespread in biological cells. While it is known that such droplets, or compartments, can regulate irreversible protein aggregation, their effect on reversible self-assembly remains largely unexplored. In this article, we use kinetic theory and solution thermodynamics to investigate the effect of liquid-liquid phase separation on the reversible self-assembly of structures with well-defined sizes and architectures. We find that, when assembling subunits preferentially partition into liquid compartments, robustness against kinetic traps and maximum achievable assembly rates can be significantly increased. In particular, both the range of solution conditions leading to productive assembly and the corresponding assembly rates can increase by orders of magnitude. We analyze the rate equation predictions using simple scaling estimates to identify effects of liquid-liquid phase separation as a function of relevant control parameters. These results may elucidate self-assembly processes that underlie normal cellular functions or pathogenesis, and suggest strategies for designing efficient bottom-up assembly for nanomaterials applications. 

   more » « less
5. Controlling liquid–liquid phase behaviour with an active fluid

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01660-8  

   Tayar, Alexandra M.; Caballero, Fernando; Anderberg, Trevor; Saleh, Omar A.; Cristina Marchetti, M.; Dogic, Zvonimir (November 2023, Nature Materials)