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Active coacervate droplets as a model for membraneless organelles and protocells

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Donau, Carsten, Späth, Fabian, Sosson, Marilyne, Kriebisch, Brigitte A. K., Schnitter, Fabian, Tena-Solsona, Marta, Kang, Hyun-Seo, Salibi, Elia +3 more·2020·Nature Communications
DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-18815-9PMC PMC7560875

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Abstract

Membraneless organelles like stress granules are active liquid-liquid phase-separated droplets that are involved in many intracellular processes. Their active and dynamic behavior is often regulated by ATP-dependent reactions. However, how exactly membraneless organelles control their dynamic composition remains poorly understood. Herein, we present a model for membraneless organelles based on RNA-containing active coacervate droplets regulated by a fuel-driven reaction cycle. These droplets emerge when fuel is present, but decay without. Moreover, we find these droplets can transiently up-concentrate functional RNA which remains in its active folded state inside the droplets. Finally, we show that in their pathway towards decay, these droplets break apart in multiple droplet fragments. Emergence, decay, rapid exchange of building blocks, and functionality are all hallmarks of membrane-less organelles, and we believe that our work could be powerful as a model to study such organelles.

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  • Most active droplet studies so far have focused on droplet count and average size, which are more susceptible to the interference of droplet motion.

    “Most active droplet studies so far have focused on droplet count and average size, which are more susceptible to the interference of droplet motion15,42.”

    From Active coacervate droplets are protocells that grow and resist Ostwald ripening (2021) · cites this paper as [42]

    The Results and discussion section, under “Droplet evolution and disassembly” (page unavailable), says this study quantified droplet number and size. It does not establish that most active-droplet studies focused on those measures or that droplet motion makes them more susceptible to interference. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Donau, C., Späth, F., Sosson, M., Kriebisch, B. A. K., Schnitter, F., Tena-Solsona, M., Kang, H.-S., Salibi, E., Sattler, M., Mutschler, H., & Boekhoven, J.
Affiliations
  • Technical University of Munich (DE)
  • Helmholtz Munich (DE)
  • Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (DE)
Corresponding author
Boekhoven, Job
ORCID
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-10-14
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
5167-5167
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41467-020-18815-9
PMC
PMC7560875
OpenAlex
W3092976969
Cited by
309
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 57 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 71 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 5
FWCI
17.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • ChemRxiv (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • mediaTUM – the media and publications repository of the Technical University Munich (Technical University Munich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Site cant be reached (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Project-16 364653263 – TRR 235)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Research and Splicing
Keywords
biomolecular condensates, protocells, stress granules, liquid-liquid phase separation, RNA folding, droplet dynamics, droplet splitting
MeSH terms
Organelles, RNA, Catalytic, RNA Stability, Artificial Cells, RNA Folding

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