Crossover in aromatic amino acid interaction strength between tyrosine and phenylalanine in biomolecular condensates.

ABSTRACT: Biomolecular condensates often form through the self-assembly of disordered proteins with low-complexity sequences. In these polypeptides, the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine act as key 'sticker' residues, driving the cohesion of dense phases. Recent studies on condensates suggest a hierarchy in sticker strength, with tyrosine being more adhesive than phenylalanine. This hierarchy aligns with experimental data on amino acids solubilities and potentials of mean force derived from atomistic simulations. However, it contradicts conventional chemical intuition based on hydrophobicity scales and pairwise contact statistics from experimental structures of proteins, which suggest that phenylalanine should be the stronger sticker. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations

SUBMITTER: De Sancho D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12677899 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature