Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates

A new Study from the Harmon and Sommer Labs in ACS Macro Letters entitled ‘Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates’ addressed how the geometry and structure of folded domains impact condensate formation. They used coarse-grained simulations to determine that coiled-coil domains (CCDs) promote liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), while replacing the CCD with a flexible linker abolishes LLPS. CCDs must have a critical length to promote LLPS at low concentrations.

The results of this study offer a framework for designing synthetic condensates with tunable phase behaviors.

Figure for paper "Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates"
© 2025 American Chemical Society

Citation:

Zhouyi He, Jens-Uwe Sommer, and Tyler S. Harmon. Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates. ACS Macro Letters 2025 14 (4), 413-419. DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00821