Physical theory of biological noise buffering by multicomponent phase separation.

ABSTRACT: Maintaining homeostasis is a fundamental characteristic of living systems. In cells, this is contributed to by the assembly of biochemically distinct organelles, many of which are not membrane bound but form by the physical process of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). By analogy with LLPS in binary solutions, cellular LLPS was hypothesized to contribute to homeostasis by facilitating "concentration buffering," which renders the local protein concentration within the organelle robust to global variations in the average cellular concentration (e.g., due to expression noise). Interestingly, concentration buffering was experimentally measured in vivo in a simple organelle with a single solute, while it was observed not to be obeyed in one with several solutes. Here, we formulate theoretic

SUBMITTER: Deviri D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8237649 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature