Multifaceted Cargo Recruitment and Release from Artificial Membraneless Organelles

Area of Science:

• Biomolecular engineering
• Materials science
• Cell biology

Background:

• Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is crucial for forming membraneless organelles (MLOs) that organize cellular biomolecules.
• Existing artificial MLOs (AMLOs) often use engineered proteins and have limited cargo regulation capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a minimalist AMLO platform for versatile cargo management.
• To demonstrate quantitative control over cargo enrichment, recruitment, and release.
• To explore AMLO applications in modulating fluorescence and potential for drug delivery and biosensing.

Main Methods:

• Constructing AMLOs via LLPS of polymer-oligopeptide hybrids.
• Quantitatively assessing the enrichment, recruitment, and release of diverse cargoes (small molecules, macromolecules, proteins, DNA, RNA).
• Investigating cargo dynamics triggered by environmental stimuli (temperature, pH, ionic strength).
• Achieving controlled aggregation-induced emission modulation within AMLOs.

Main Results:

• Achieved up to 10^5-fold cargo enrichment.
• Demonstrated tunable cargo recruitment and release via environmental triggers.
• Reported the first successful rapid and reversible control of aggregation-induced emission (over 30-fold fluorescence modulation).

Conclusions:

• The minimalist AMLO platform offers a simple yet versatile system for organizing and controlling biomolecular cargo.
• This AMLO platform shows significant potential for advanced applications in drug delivery and biosensing.
• The controlled modulation of fluorescence via aggregation-induced emission opens new avenues for optical sensing technologies.