Biophysical Principles of Liquid–liquid Phase Separation
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2022
Keywords
Aqueous Two-phase Systems, Hydrogen Bond, Membrane-less Organelles, Liquid-liquid Phase Separation, Water Structure
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823967-4.00009-9
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a well-known phenomenon. It commonly occurs between two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water or partially miscible solvents, such as water and octanol, when the concentration of water exceeds its solubility in octanol. Recently LLPS in biological systems attracted a lot of attention due to finding that there are multiple membrane-less organelles (MLO) that are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation. This chapter is water-centric and considers properties of water in solutions of macromolecules, small organic compounds, electrolytes, and their mixtures, followed by the description of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), their phase diagrams, properties of water in coexisting phases of ATPSs, interfacial tension, and existing thermodynamic models of phase separation in ATPSs and biological systems. It suggests a model for LLPS mechanism and the possible routes for testing the suggested mechanism of LLPS in aqueous media.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Biophysical Principles of Liquid–liquid Phase Separation, in V. N. Uversky (Ed.), Droplets of Life, Academic Press, p. 3-82
Scholar Commons Citation
Zaslavsky, Boris Y.; Ferreira, Luisa A.; and Uversky, Vladimir N., "Biophysical Principles of Liquid–liquid Phase Separation" (2022). Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications. 1133.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mme_facpub/1133
