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Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Visualizing Intracellular SNARE Trafficking by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Published on: December 29, 2017
Multifaceted Cargo Recruitment and Release from Artificial Membraneless Organelles
Jianhui Liu1, Fariza Zhorabek1, Tianfu Zhang2
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) drives membraneless organelles (MLOs) formation for organizing biomolecules. Artificial MLOs (AMLOs) have been constructed mostly via the LLPS of engineered proteins capable of regulating limited types of biomolecules. Here, leveraging a minimalist AMLO, driven by LLPS of polymer-oligopeptide hybrids, enrichment, recruitment, and release of multifaceted cargoes are quantitatively shown, including small fluorescent molecules, fluorophore-containing macromolecules, proteins, DNAs, and RNAs. Cargoes show up to 105 -fold enrichment, whilst recruitment and release are triggered by variations of temperature, pH, and/or ionic strength. Also, the first efficacious, rapid, and reversible control of aggregation-induced emission with over 30 folds of modulation of overall fluorescence intensity is achieved, by intensifying the aggregation of luminogens in AMLO. The AMLO is a simple yet versatile platform for potential drug delivery and biosensor applications.
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