The key role of solvent in condensation: Mapping water in liquid-liquid phase-separated FUS

What drives the formation of biomolecular condensates from proteins in water? The Adams group, in collaboration with colleagues from Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, measured the thermodynamic forces leading to the expulsion of water from condensates as they form through protein-protein interactions. the results are published in the Biophysical Journal. Read more.

Scheme showing the proposed water-mediated contribution of FUS to LLPS. Formation of phase-separated droplets is supported by an increase in tetrahedral coordination of water molecules (bound water; thick black) and minimization of less favorable water interactions (wrap water; red).
6. April 2021
Publications, Ellen Adams Group