Colloquium “Macromolecular Sciences” and the SFB 1551 – Evan Spruijt

Talk announcement for the colloquium “Macromolecular Sciences” and the SFB 1551

*Coacervates as organisers of biomolecular chemistry*

Evan Spruijt

Institute for Molecules and Materials

Radboud University, Nijmegen

Abstract:

Coacervates are condensed liquid-like droplets that can be
formed with molecules ranging from short peptides and
nucleotides to long polymers through liquid-liquid phase
separation. They have been studied extensively in colloid and
interface science for their remarkable materials properties,
and now receive increasing attention as in vitro models
mimicking biomolecular condensates.[1] Moreover, their
ability to sequester a wide range of biomolecules creates a
broad range of opportunities for synthetic cell applications.
However, challenges remain to control phase separation in
crowded environments, to tune interactions between
coacervates and with membranes, and to tailor coacervates
for specific functions. In this talk, we will focus on addressing
these three key challenges by answering the following
questions:
(i) How does the cellular environment affect the formation and
properties of biomolecular condensates and other
coacervates?[2,3] (ii) How do coacervates interact with each
other and with membranes?[4] (iii) How do coacervates
influence the self-assembly and aggregation of proteins?[5]

References
[1] Coacervates as models of membraneless organelles.
Yewdall, N.A., André, A.A.M., Lu, T. and Spruijt, E., Curr. Opin. Colloid Int. Sci. (2021), 52, 101416.
[2] Crowding-induced phase separation and gelling by co-condensation of PEG in NPM1-rRNA condensates.
André, A.A.M., Yewdall, N.A. and Spruijt, E., Biophys. J. (2022), in press.
[3] ATP:Mg2+ shapes condensate properties of protein-RNA condensates and their partitioning of clients. Yewdall, N.A.,
André, A.A.M., Van Haren, M.H.I., Nelissen, F.H.T., Jonker, A. and Spruijt, E., Biophys. J. (2022), 121, 3962-3974.
[4] Endocytosis of coacervates into liposomes. Lu, T., Liese, S., Schoenmakers, L., Weber, C.A., Suzuki, H., Huck, W.T.S. and
Spruijt, E., JACS (2022), 144, 13451-13455.
[5] Biomolecular condensates can both accelerate and suppress aggregation of α-synuclein. Lipiński, W.P., Visser, B.S. Robu,
I., Abolghassemi Fakhree, M.M., Lindhoud, S., Claessens, M.M.A.E. and Spruijt, E., Science Advances (2022), 8, abq6495.