Mesoscale molecular assembly is favored by the active, crowded cytoplasm.

ABSTRACT: The mesoscale organization of molecules into membraneless biomolecular condensates is emerging as a key mechanism of rapid spatiotemporal control in cells¹. Principles of biomolecular condensation have been revealed through in vitro reconstitution². However, intracellular environments are much more complex than test-tube environments: They are viscoelastic, highly crowded at the mesoscale, and are far from thermodynamic equilibrium due to the constant action of energy-consuming processes³. We developed synDrops, a synthetic phase separation system, to study how the cellular environment affects condensate formation. Three key features enable physical analysis: synDrops are inducible, bioorthogonal, and have well-defined geometry. This design allows ki

SUBMITTER: Shu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10541124 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature