Behavior control of membrane-less protein liquid condensates with metal ion-induced phase separation.

ABSTRACT: Phase separation of specific biomolecules into liquid droplet-like condensates is a key mechanism to form membrane-less organelles, which spatio-temporally organize diverse biochemical processes in cells. To investigate the working principles of these biomolecular condensates as dynamic reaction centers, precise control of diverse condensate properties is essential. Here, we design a strategy for metal ion-induced clustering of minimal protein modules to produce liquid protein condensates, the properties of which can be widely varied by simple manipulation of the protein clustering systems. The droplet forming-minimal module contains only a single receptor protein and a binding ligand peptide with a hexahistidine tag for divalent metal ion-mediated clustering. A wide range of protein conde

SUBMITTER: Hong K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7642319 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature