Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Keywords
Aqueous Two-phase System, Interfacial Tension, Liquid–liquid Phase Separation, Phase-forming Polymer, Solvent Features of Water
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9090473
Abstract
Analysis of liquid–liquid phase separation in biological systems shows that this process is similar to the phase separation observed in aqueous two-phase systems formed by nonionic polymers, proteins, and polysaccharides. The emergence of interfacial tension is a necessary condition of phase separation. The situation in this regard is similar to that of phase separation in mixtures of partially miscible solvents. It is suggested that the evaluation of the effects of biological macromolecules on the solvent properties of aqueous media and the measurement of the interfacial tension as a function of these solvent properties may be more productive for gaining insights into the mechanism of liquid–liquid phase separation than the study of structural details of proteins and RNAs engaged in the process.
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Biomolecules, v. 9, issue 9, art. 473
Scholar Commons Citation
Zaslavsky, Boris Y.; Ferreira, Luisa A.; and Uversky, Vladimir N., "Driving Forces of Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation in Biological Systems" (2019). Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications. 834.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mme_facpub/834
