Amino Acid-Dependent Material Properties of Tetrapeptide Condensates

Condensates formed by intrinsically disordered proteins mediate a myriad of cellular processes and are linked to pathological conditions including neurodegeneration. Rules of how different types of amino acids (e.g., π-π pairs) dictate the physical properties of biomolecular condensates are emerging, but our understanding of the roles of different amino acids is far from complete. Here we studied condensates formed by tetrapeptides of the form XXssXX, where X is an amino acid and ss represents a disulfide bond along the backbone. Eight peptides form four types of condensates at different concentrations and pH values: droplets (X = F, L, M, P, V, A); amorphous dense liquids (X = L, M, P, V, A); amorphous aggregates (X = W), and gels (X = I, V, A). The peptides exhibit enormous differences in phase equilibrium and material properties, including a 368-fold range in the threshold concentration for phase separation and a 3856-fold range in viscosity. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations provide physical explanations of these results. The present work also reveals widespread critical behaviors, including critical slowing down manifested by the formation of amorphous dense liquids and critical scaling obeyed by fusion speed, with broad implications for condensate function.