Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2025
06:48
Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells
Published on: January 5, 2024
3.7K
Biomolecular condensates form spatially inhomogeneous network fluids
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|October 24, 2023
Summary
Biomolecular condensates, essential for cell function, exhibit complex internal structures. This study reveals these structures are network fluids with distinct molecular densities, influencing dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Biomolecular condensates' functions are linked to their material properties, dictated by internal molecular organization.
- Structural characterization of these condensates is difficult and infrequently reported.
Approach:
- Utilized small angle neutron scattering, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and molecular dynamics simulations.
- Developed model condensates from nucleolar granular components (GCs) for structural analysis.
Key Points:
- GC-derived condensates form network fluids with spatial inhomogeneities at multiple length scales.
- These inhomogeneities arise from distinct protein and peptide domains.
- A coexistence of liquid- and gas-like densities leads to bimodal internal molecular dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The internal organization of biomolecular condensates resembles network fluids.
- This structure suggests condensates formed by multivalent proteins share characteristics with colloidal systems.
Related Concept Videos
02:35Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules
51.7K
Noncovalent attractions are associations within and between molecules that influence the shape and structural stability of complexes. These interactions differ from covalent bonding in that they do not involve sharing of electrons.
Four types of noncovalent interactions are hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.
Hydrogen bonding results from the electrostatic attraction of a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a strong-electronegative atom like oxygen,...
Four types of noncovalent interactions are hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.
Hydrogen bonding results from the electrostatic attraction of a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a strong-electronegative atom like oxygen,...
51.7K
02:56Intermolecular Forces and Physical Properties
20.8K
20.8K
01:19Fluid Mosaic Model
11.9K
Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich...
11.9K
03:13Intermolecular Forces
58.6K
Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen...
58.6K
01:34The Fluid Mosaic Model
148.5K
The fluid mosaic model was first proposed as a visual representation of research observations. The model comprises the composition and dynamics of membranes and serves as a foundation for future membrane-related studies. The model depicts the structure of the plasma membrane with a variety of components, which include phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. These integral molecules are loosely bound, defining the cell’s border and providing fluidity for optimal function.
148.5K
02:26Molecular Comparison of Gases, Liquids, and Solids
41.3K
Particles in a solid are tightly packed together (fixed shape) and often arranged in a regular pattern; in a liquid, they are close together with no regular arrangement (no fixed shape); in a gas, they are far apart with no regular arrangement (no fixed shape). Particles in a solid vibrate about fixed positions (cannot flow) and do not generally move in relation to one another; in a liquid, they move past each other (can flow) but remain in essentially constant contact; in a gas, they move...
41.3K