Material properties of phase-separated TFEB condensates regulate the autophagy-lysosome pathway.

ABSTRACT: Very little is known about how the material properties of protein condensates assembled via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are maintained and affect physiological functions. Here we show that liquid-like condensates of the transcription factor TFEB exhibit low fusion propensity in vitro and in living cells. We directly measured the attraction force between droplets, and we characterized the interfacial tension, viscosity, and elasticity of TFEB condensates. TFEB condensates contain rigid interfacial boundaries that govern their interaction behaviors. Several small molecules, including Ro-3306, modify the material properties of TFEB condensates, increasing their size and fusion propensity. These compounds promote lysosomal biogenesis and function in a TFEB-dependent manner without ch

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8931539 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature