Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Patchy Particles Illuminates Diverse Effects of Regulatory Components on Protein Droplet Formation.

ABSTRACT: Recently many cellular functions have been associated with membraneless organelles, or protein droplets, formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Proteins in these droplets often contain RNA-binding domains, but the effects of RNA on LLPS have been controversial. To gain better understanding on the roles of RNA and other macromolecular regulators, here we used Gibbs-ensemble simulations to determine phase diagrams of two-component patchy particles, as models for mixtures of proteins with regulatory components. Protein-like particles have four patches, with attraction strength ε_PP; regulatory particles experience mutual steric repulsion but have two attractive patches toward proteins, with the strength ε_PR tunable. At low ε_PR, the regulator, due to s

SUBMITTER: Nguemaha V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5928213 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature