Unlocking the electrochemical functions of biomolecular condensates

Y Dai, ZG Wang, RN Zare - Nature Chemical Biology, 2024 - nature.com
Biomolecular condensation is a key mechanism for organizing cellular processes in a
spatiotemporal manner. The phase-transition nature of this process defines a density …

Understanding hydrophobic effects: Insights from water density fluctuations

NB Rego, AJ Patel - Annual Review of Condensed Matter …, 2022 - annualreviews.org
The aversion of hydrophobic solutes for water drives diverse interactions and assemblies
across materials science, biology, and beyond. Here, we review the theoretical …

Structure of FUS protein fibrils and its relevance to self-assembly and phase separation of low-complexity domains

DT Murray, M Kato, Y Lin, KR Thurber, I Hung… - Cell, 2017 - cell.com
Polymerization and phase separation of proteins containing low-complexity (LC) domains
are important factors in gene expression, mRNA processing and trafficking, and localization …

Balanced protein–water interactions improve properties of disordered proteins and non-specific protein association

RB Best, W Zheng, J Mittal - Journal of chemical theory and …, 2014 - ACS Publications
Some frequently encountered deficiencies in all-atom molecular simulations, such as
nonspecific protein–protein interactions being too strong, and unfolded or disordered states …

A pH-driven transition of the cytoplasm from a fluid-to a solid-like state promotes entry into dormancy

MC Munder, D Midtvedt, T Franzmann, E Nuske, O Otto… - elife, 2016 - elifesciences.org
Cells can enter into a dormant state when faced with unfavorable conditions. However, how
cells enter into and recover from this state is still poorly understood. Here, we study …

Thermodynamic forces from protein and water govern condensate formation of an intrinsically disordered protein domain

S Mukherjee, LV Schäfer - Nature Communications, 2023 - nature.com
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) can drive a multitude of cellular processes by
compartmentalizing biological cells via the formation of dense liquid biomolecular …

Narrow equilibrium window for complex coacervation of tau and RNA under cellular conditions

Y Lin, J McCarty, JN Rauch, KT Delaney, KS Kosik… - Elife, 2019 - elifesciences.org
The mechanism that leads to liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of the tau protein, whose
pathological aggregation is implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, is not well …

Protein storytelling through physics

E Brini, C Simmerling, K Dill - Science, 2020 - science.org
BACKGROUND Understanding biology, particularly at the level of actionable drug
discovery, is often a matter of develo** accurate stories about how proteins work. This …

Molecular crowding: the history and development of a scientific paradigm

C Alfano, Y Fichou, K Huber, M Weiss, E Spruijt… - Chemical …, 2024 - ACS Publications
It is now generally accepted that macromolecules do not act in isolation but “live” in a
crowded environment, that is, an environment populated by numerous different molecules …

Rational design of amyloid‐like fibrillary structures for tailoring food protein techno‐functionality and their potential health implications

KJA Jansens, I Rombouts, C Grootaert… - … Reviews in Food …, 2019 - Wiley Online Library
To control and enhance protein functionality is a major challenge for food scientists. In this
context, research on food protein fibril formation, especially amyloid fibril formation, holds …