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Related Concept Videos

Protein Complex Assembly02:41

Protein Complex Assembly

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Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types.  Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
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Mechanistic Models: Overview of Compartment Models01:21

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Mechanistic models, a category encompassing both physiological and compartmental modeling, differ from empirical models' approaches to incorporating known factors about the systems being modeled. Empirical models describe data with minimal assumptions, while mechanistic models aim to provide a robust description of available data by specifying assumptions and integrating known factors about the system. Compartmental analysis is a key example of a mechanistic model in pharmacokinetics and...
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Assembly of Signaling Complexes01:30

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Multiprotein signaling complexes are formed in a dynamic process involving protein-protein interactions at the cytoplasmic domain of transmembrane receptors or enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins associated with the receptor. These complexes ensure the activation and propagation of intracellular signals that regulate cell functions.
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Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
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Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations01:46

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One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
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One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
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Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles
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Delay-facilitated self-assembly in compartmentalized systems.

Severin Angerpointner1, Richard Swiderski1, Erwin Frey1,2

  • 1Department of Physics, Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich D-80333, Germany.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 25, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Slow particle exchange between compartments enhances biomolecular self-assembly efficiency. This delay-facilitated assembly mechanism optimizes yield and minimizes time, even with suboptimal reaction rates.

Keywords:
compartmentalizationnonequilibriumself-assembly

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Area of Science:

  • Biomolecular systems
  • Synthetic biology
  • Chemical engineering

Background:

  • Self-assembly is crucial in biological and synthetic systems.
  • Spatial separation of biochemical processes often governs self-assembly.
  • Previous research focused on fast particle exchange or optimized reaction parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of slow intercompartmental exchange in self-assembly.
  • To demonstrate a novel mechanism: delay-facilitated assembly.
  • To explore geometric control of self-assembly through spatial separation.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a minimal model of irreversible self-assembly.
  • Simulated two compartments with distinct reaction and exchange dynamics.
  • Analyzed scenarios with slow particle exchange and suboptimal reaction rates.

Main Results:

  • Slow particle exchange significantly enhances self-assembly efficiency.
  • Delay-facilitated assembly maximizes yield and minimizes assembly time.
  • The mechanism is robust across various geometries and transport mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Slow intercompartmental exchange provides a powerful strategy for enhancing self-assembly.
  • Geometric control via compartment volumes and exchange rates is feasible.
  • Biological systems may utilize slow particle exchange for improved assembly efficiency.