Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: A schematic overview illustrating different strategies of LLPS droplet formation: segregative, complex and simple associative LLPS.

Article Snippet: Fig. 5 Biomimetic LLPS droplet formation and dynamics. a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”.

Techniques:

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: Overview of examples of LLPS droplet stabilization strategies

Article Snippet: Fig. 5 Biomimetic LLPS droplet formation and dynamics. a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”.

Techniques: Polymer

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Coacervate stabilization using red blood cell (RBC) membrane fragments. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2020, Nature Publishing Group . b PEG/dextran LLPS droplet ATPS stabilization using living cells. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2019, Frontiers Media S.A . c Coacervate formation and stabilization using E. Coli and PA01 bacterial strains. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Nature Publishing Group . d DNA-based protocells composed of dual barcode components with complementary pairs. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Nature Publishing Group . e Coacervate stabilization via maintaining continuous non-equilibrium conditions inside rock pores. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Nature Publishing Group . f Stabilization via continuous chemical fuelling of ATP to the coacervates. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2021, Nature Publishing Group .

Article Snippet: Fig. 5 Biomimetic LLPS droplet formation and dynamics. a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”.

Techniques: Membrane

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”. A physical stimulus causes droplet division while self-reproduction occurs by incorporation of the nutrients. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2021, Nature Publishing Group . b Immobilized artificial metalloenzymes (ArM) catalyzes an DNA-orthogonal uncaging reaction in DNA protocells (PCs). The uncaged product induces swelling and destabilizes DNA force-sensing modules (installed in the PCs), further triggering the fluorescence output and the membrane dynamization of the protocells. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2020, Nature Publishing Group . c Oscillatory transformation of membraneless microdroplets from LLPS of metallosurfactants (top) and spherical micelles (bottom) by coupling salt-induced coacervation with the BZ reaction in which RuC9 (the metallosurfactant with a ruthenium (II) tris(bipyridine) complex headgroup and two nonyl tails) serves as a catalyst and is repeatedly switched between the oxidized (Ru III C9) and reduced states (Ru II C9). d Optical microscopy images of repeated death/regeneration cycles of droplets; e A gradual increase in droplet size is noted at both oxidized and reduced states. Scale bars: ( d ) 5 μm; ( e ) 1 μm. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2023, Wiley-VCH GmbH .

Article Snippet: Fig. 5 Biomimetic LLPS droplet formation and dynamics. a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”.

Techniques: Fluorescence, Membrane, Transformation Assay, Microscopy

Journal: Stress Biology

Article Title: Liquid-liquid phase separation as a major mechanism of plant abiotic stress sensing and responses

doi: 10.1007/s44154-023-00141-x

Figure Lengend Snippet: Phase separation-triggered biomolecular condensates in plants. A A simple schematic diagram showing the formation of condensed membraneless droplets driven by the phase separation proteins that harbor intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). B The representative types of biomolecular condensates in plants are shown, including the nucleolus, Cajal bodies, photobodies, dicing bodies, and nuclear speckles that occur in the nucleus, and stress granules and P-bodies that are observed in the cytosol. Phase separation-triggered biomolecular condensates have also been observed in chloroplasts and at the vicinity of cell surface

Article Snippet: LLPS-driven biomolecular condensates are composed of various macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, and compartmentation of these macromolecules in different condensates enables the spatiotemporal regulation of a variety of cellular activities, such as signal transduction, cargo sorting, protein localization, RNA transcription, and protein translation (Tsang et al. ).

Techniques:

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Coacervate droplet stabilization via acoustic field implementation (scale bar 150 μm). Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2016, Nature Publishing Group . b Coacervate stabilization using electric field showing Illustration of a coacervate droplet interface collapse in DI-water due to ionic crosslinking from interfacial ion ejection. Adapted with permission from Copyright ©2022, National Academy of Science . c Matrix-assisted stabilization of coacervate droplets with hydrogel immobilization of coacervate microdroplets. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2020, Wiley VCH GmbH . d Membranization-induced stabilization of LLPS droplets; phospholipid-mediated stabilization of giant coacervate vesicles. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2021, American Chemical Society . e Protein-polymer conjugate membrane-stabilization of coacervates. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2019, Wiley-VCH GmbH . f Protein nanofibril-mediated stabilization of a PEG/Dextran ATPS system. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2016, Nature Publishing Group . g 2D polymer nanoplatelets induced stabilization of PEG/dextran ATPS system. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2016, American Chemical Society . h , i Liposome-stabilized PEG-dextran ATPS system (blue, dextran; yellow, PEG). h Dextran-rich droplets dispersed in PEG-rich continuous phase, ( i ) PEG-rich droplets dispersed in dextran-rich continuous phase. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2014, Nature Publishing Group . j Lipid vesicle coating to stabilize complex coacervates. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2019, American Chemical Society .

Article Snippet: Fig. 6 Biomimetic LLPS droplets; multiphase behavior, endocytosis, filament assembly and liquid crystallinity. a Single-stranded and double-stranded RNA preferentially accumulate in different phases of the same droplet due to the new thermodynamic equilibrium between RNA partitioning and dissociation introduced by multiphase structures.

Techniques: Polymer, Membrane

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: a The amino acid thioester is oligomerized to produce a peptide and acts as a source of “nutrition”. A physical stimulus causes droplet division while self-reproduction occurs by incorporation of the nutrients. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2021, Nature Publishing Group . b Immobilized artificial metalloenzymes (ArM) catalyzes an DNA-orthogonal uncaging reaction in DNA protocells (PCs). The uncaged product induces swelling and destabilizes DNA force-sensing modules (installed in the PCs), further triggering the fluorescence output and the membrane dynamization of the protocells. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2020, Nature Publishing Group . c Oscillatory transformation of membraneless microdroplets from LLPS of metallosurfactants (top) and spherical micelles (bottom) by coupling salt-induced coacervation with the BZ reaction in which RuC9 (the metallosurfactant with a ruthenium (II) tris(bipyridine) complex headgroup and two nonyl tails) serves as a catalyst and is repeatedly switched between the oxidized (Ru III C9) and reduced states (Ru II C9). d Optical microscopy images of repeated death/regeneration cycles of droplets; e A gradual increase in droplet size is noted at both oxidized and reduced states. Scale bars: ( d ) 5 μm; ( e ) 1 μm. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2023, Wiley-VCH GmbH .

Article Snippet: Fig. 6 Biomimetic LLPS droplets; multiphase behavior, endocytosis, filament assembly and liquid crystallinity. a Single-stranded and double-stranded RNA preferentially accumulate in different phases of the same droplet due to the new thermodynamic equilibrium between RNA partitioning and dissociation introduced by multiphase structures.

Techniques: Fluorescence, Membrane, Transformation Assay, Microscopy

Journal: Communications Chemistry

Article Title: Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid–liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01168-5

Figure Lengend Snippet: a The tubular three-layer model prototissue vessel and the communication pathways between LLPS protocells. It immobilized populations of GOx-CVs, HRP-CVs or CAT-CVs in the outer, middle or inner hydrogel modules. Enzyme-decorated coacervate artificial cells process multiple signaling molecules involved in an enzyme cascade reaction. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Nature Publishing Group . b Communication between LLPS droplets as artificial organelles. Schematic drawings and confocal images showing the exchange of FITC-DEAE-Dex between two DNA coacervates (labeled by AF405 andCy5). Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Wiley-VCH GmbH . c Communication between LLPS droplets and living cells. The living cell-containing coacervate droplets are dynamic in terms of living E.coli and F-actin; confocal microscopy images show the morphology transformation from spherical to non-spherical bacteriogenic protocells. Red, F-actin and outer membrane; blue, DNA–histone condensate; green, guest live E. coli cells. Scale bars: 10 μm. Adapted with permission from Copyright © 2022, Nature Publishing Group .

Article Snippet: Fig. 6 Biomimetic LLPS droplets; multiphase behavior, endocytosis, filament assembly and liquid crystallinity. a Single-stranded and double-stranded RNA preferentially accumulate in different phases of the same droplet due to the new thermodynamic equilibrium between RNA partitioning and dissociation introduced by multiphase structures.

Techniques: Labeling, Confocal Microscopy, Transformation Assay, Membrane