Protein condensates are dense droplets of proteins that organise the interior of the cell. Curiously, they age, meaning their physical properties such as viscosity change over time. In our paper “Theory of rheology and aging of protein condensates” published in PRX Life, we study how protein condensates become very viscous with time reflecting its glassy nature. We formulate a theory to understand this intriguing phenomenon.

Check out the paper for more info! https://journals.aps.org/prxlife/abstract/10.1103/PRXLife.1.013006

The post How Protein Condensates Age appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

Cells organize their interior into functional compartments, some without an enclosing membrane. These dense liquid droplets of biomolecules coexist with the surrounding environment like oil drops in water constantly exchanging material with it.

How is the random movement of single biomolecules influenced by the presence of these droplets?

In this video, we explain our recent work published in Phys. Rev. Research, answering this question. 

Check out the paper for more info https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043150

Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.

The post How do single molecules move in and out of condensates? appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

Cells assemble structures that have lots of molecules. How can such complicated structures be reliably assembled? We propose that cells could be organizing an assembly line process for the construction. We show how this could be organized inside droplets. In this video we explain our recent work published in PRL. Check out the paper for more info: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract…

Prepared by Mariona Esquerda Ciutat from the Hyman and Jülicher labs in Dresden.

The post Molecular Assembly Lines in Active Droplets appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

In this video and the accompanying Cell paper, the Tony Hyman and Simon Alberti groups at Max Planck Institute propose an interesting idea that aging cells fail to maintain the liquid phase of ALS-associated protein FUS. The FUS liquid compartment instead forms disease-link solid phase aggregation.

Check out the paper at: http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S00….

Avinash Patel, Hyun O Lee, Louise Jawreth, Shovamayee Maharana, Marcus Jahnel, Marco Y. Hein, Stoyno Stoynov, Julia Mahamid, Shambaditya Saha, Titus M. Franzmann, et al. (2015). A Liquid to Solid Phase Transition of the ALS Protein FUS Correlates with Disease. Cell 162. And read more great research at http://www.cell.com/cell/home.

The post Phase Transition in Disease appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

In this video abstract, Shamba Saha tells you about his recent publication in Cell, “Polar Positioning of Phase-Separated Liquid Compartments in Cells Regulated by an mRNA Competition Mechanism.” Learn more in the full paper Saha et al. (2016) published in Cell, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016…

Written and narrated by Shamba Saha. Edited and produced by Lisa Dennison.

The post Phase separation in cell polarity appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

In this video abstract, Oliver Wueseke tells you about his recent publication in Biology Open, “Polo-like kinase phosphorylation determines C.elegans centrosome size and density by biasing SPD-5 toward an assembly-competent conformation,”

Learn more in the full paper Wueseke et al. (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/bio.020990

Written and narrated by Oliver Wueseke, illustrated by Jeff Woodruff, edited and produced by Lisa Dennison.

The post Regulation of centrosome assembly by phosphorylation appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

The centrosome is a structure in cells which is built every time the cell prepares to divide. In this video abstract, Jeff Woodruff explains how to build a centrosome in a test tube from purified proteins. He found that the centrosome acts like a sponge, which selectively soaks up the proteins needed to build microtubules.

Read more in the full paper, published in the journal Cell: http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S00…

See the full blog post at: http://www.sciencesketches.org/single…

Jeff Woodruff is a postdoc in the lab of Tony Hyman (hymanlab.org) at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany

The post Building a synthetic centrosome appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.

Cells must build cytoskeleton structures, such as microtubules, where they are locally needed within the cell, but how do they do this? In this video abstract, Amayra Hernández-Vega explains that in a test tube, microtubules can be formed locally through phase separation. She also found that the protein Tau can phase separate into droplets, which can then concentrate enough tubulin to nucleate and build microtubules. Read more in the full paper, published in the journal Cell Reports: http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abst… and see the full blog post at: http://www.sciencesketches.org/single…

Amayra Hernández-Vega is a postdoc in the lab of Tony Hyman (http://hymanlab.org) at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany.

The post Microtubule nucleation through phase separation appeared first on RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates.