Cells can form membraneless organelles by liquid-liquid phase separation. As these organelles are highly dynamic, it is crucial to understand the kinetics of these phase transitions. Here, we use droplet-based microfluidics to mix reagents by chaotic advection and observe nucleation, growth, and coarsening in volumes comparable to cells (pL) and on timescales of seconds. We apply this platform to analyze the dynamics of synthetic organelles formed by the DEAD-box ATPase Dhh1 and RNA, which are associated with the formation of processing bodies in yeast. We show that the timescale of phase separation decreases linearly as the volume of the compartment increases. Moreover, the synthetic organelles coarsen into one single droplet via gravity-induced coalescence, which can be arrested by introducing a hydrogel matrix that mimics the cytoskeleton. This approach is an attractive platform to investigate the dynamics of compartmentalization in artificial cells.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201907278 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
MoCloro: an extension of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii modular cloning toolkit for microalgal chloroplast engineering.
Physiol Plant
January 2025
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Institut Químic de Sarrià, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain.
Photosynthetic microalgae are promising green cell factories for the sustainable production of high-value chemicals and biopharmaceuticals. The chloroplast organelle is being developed as a chassis for synthetic biology as it contains its own genome (the plastome) and some interesting advantages, such as high recombinant protein titers and a diverse and dynamic metabolism. However, chloroplast engineering is currently hampered by the lack of standardized cloning tools and Design-Build-Test-Learn workflows to ease genomic and metabolic engineering.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSimulation of fluid flow with Cuprophan and AN69ST membranes in the dialyzer during hemodialysis.
Biomed Phys Eng Express
January 2025
Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlan, Av. 1o de Mayo S/N, Santa María las Torres, Campo Uno, 54740 Cuautitlán Izcalli, Edo. de Méx., Cuautitlan Izcalli, Estado de México, 54740, MEXICO.
Hemodialysis is a crucial procedure for removing toxins and waste from the body when kidneys fail to perform this function effectively. This study addresses the need to improve the efficiency and biocompatibility of membranes used in dialyzers. We simulate fluid flow through two types of membranes, Cuprophan (cellulosic) and AN69ST (synthetic), to understand the complex mechanisms involved and quantify key variables such as pressure, concentration, and flow.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFilling data analysis gaps in time-resolved crystallography by machine learning.
Struct Dyn
January 2025
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, USA.
There is a growing understanding of the structural dynamics of biological molecules fueled by x-ray crystallography experiments. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) with x-ray Free Electron Lasers allows the measurement of ultrafast structural changes in proteins. Nevertheless, this technique comes with some limitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGene syntax-the order and arrangement of genes and their regulatory elements-shapes the dynamic coordination of both natural and synthetic gene circuits. Transcription at one locus profoundly impacts the transcription of nearby adjacent genes, but the molecular basis of this effect remains poorly understood. Here, using integrated reporter circuits in human cells, we show that supercoiling-mediated feedback regulates expression of adjacent genes in a syntax-specific manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe competition for resources is a defining feature of microbial communities. In many contexts, from soils to host-associated communities, highly diverse microbes are organized into metabolic groups or guilds with similar resource preferences. The resource preferences of individual taxa that give rise to these guilds are critical for understanding fluxes of resources through the community and the structure of diversity in the system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!