Thanks!

6/5 (future questions)
 
Are the physical properties of the cell interior used as information? Can cells use these physical cues to regulate endogenous condensates?
 
Thanks to amazing collaborators:
Jon Alberts
@ElevyLab
Matheus Viana

However, ATP-dependent cellular activities are essential for condensate growth. These activities, especially actomysosin dynamics, work their magic by reducing elastic confinement for mesoscale condensates.
 
5/5

Our experiments and simulations unveiled that macromolecular crowding has a dule role in condensate formation dynamics: crowding promotes nucleation but inhibits condensate growth.

4/5

To investigate, we developed the synDrops system, an inducible synthetic phase separation system with a well-defined geometry. synDrops enable us to analyze condensate formation kinetics within yeast and mammalian cells and are amenable to simulation.
 
3/5

The cell interior is a highly complex environment! It’s active, crowded at the mesoscale and exhibits viscoelastic properties. But how does this complex intracellular environment impact phase separation within cells?
 
2/5