Rigidity enhances a magic-number effect in polymer phase separation

Publication Year
2020

Type

Journal Article
Abstract
Cells possess non-membrane-bound bodies, many of which are now understood as phase-separated condensates. One class of such condensates is composed of two polymer species, where each consists of repeated binding sites that interact in a one-to-one fashion with the binding sites of the other polymer. Biologically-motivated modeling revealed that phase separation is suppressed by a "magic-number effect" which occurs if the two polymers can form fully-bonded small oligomers by virtue of the number of binding sites in one polymer being an integer multiple of the number of binding sites of the other. Here we use lattice-model simulations and analytical calculations to show that this magic-number effect can be greatly enhanced if one of the polymer species has a rigid shape that allows for multiple distinct bonding conformations. Moreover, if one species is rigid, the effect is robust over a much greater range of relative concentrations of the two species.
Journal
Nat Commun
Volume
11
Pages
1561
Date Published
03/2020
ISBN
2041-1723
Accession Number
32214099

2041-1723Xu, BinOrcid: 0000-0002-1351-660xHe, GuanhuaWeiner, Benjamin GOrcid: 0000-0002-1995-8660Ronceray, PierreOrcid: 0000-0002-9012-7544Meir, YigalJonikas, Martin COrcid: 0000-0002-9519-6055Wingreen, Ned SOrcid: 0000-0001-7384-2821DP2 GM119137/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United StatesJournal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.2020/03/28Nat Commun. 2020 Mar 25;11(1):1561. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15395-6.