Biomolecular condensate viscoelasticity is dictated by the interplay between single-molecule shape memory and mesh reconfigurability.

ABSTRACT: Biomolecular condensates are membraneless organelles that compartmentalize biological functions in living cells. Formed by the phase separation of biomolecules, condensates possess a wide range of mechanical responses. However, how condensate viscoelastic responses are encoded in the chemistries of their constituents-such as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs)-are not well understood. Here, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to connect measurable condensate viscoelasticity to the architectural heterogeneity and dynamic reconfigurability of associative networks formed by IDPs. Using a residue-resolution coarse-grained model, we characterize biologically relevant and synthetic condensates, demonstrating that their temperature sensitivity of elasticity is sequence dependent and mod

SUBMITTER: Garcia PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12632305 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature