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Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Laaß, K; Quiroz, FG; Hunold, J; Roberts, S; Chilkoti, A; Hinderberger, D
Published in: Biomacromolecules
February 2021

Many intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in nature may undergo liquid-liquid phase separation to assemble membraneless organelles with varied liquid-like properties and stability/dynamics. While solubility changes underlie these properties, little is known about hydration dynamics in phase-separating IDPs. Here, by studying IDP polymers of similar composition but distinct liquid-like dynamics and stability upon separation, namely, thermal hysteresis, we probe at a nanoscopic level hydration/dehydration dynamics in IDPs as they reversibly switch between phase separation states. Using continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW EPR) spectroscopy, we observe distinct backbone and amino acid side-chain hydration dynamics in these IDPs. This nanoscopic view reveals that side-chain rehydration creates a dynamic water shield around the main-chain backbone that effectively and counterintuitively prevents water penetration and governs IDP solubility. We find that the strength of this superficial water shell is a sequence feature of IDPs that encodes for the stability of their phase-separated assemblies. Our findings expose and offer an initial understanding of how the complexity of nanoscopic water-IDP interactions dictate their rich phase separation behavior.

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Published In

Biomacromolecules

DOI

EISSN

1526-4602

ISSN

1525-7797

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

22

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1015 / 1025

Related Subject Headings

  • Water
  • Polymers
  • Polymers
  • Organelles
  • Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
  • Amino Acids
  • 09 Engineering
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Laaß, K., Quiroz, F. G., Hunold, J., Roberts, S., Chilkoti, A., & Hinderberger, D. (2021). Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Biomacromolecules, 22(2), 1015–1025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01768
Laaß, Katharina, Felipe García Quiroz, Johannes Hunold, Stefan Roberts, Ashutosh Chilkoti, and Dariush Hinderberger. “Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.Biomacromolecules 22, no. 2 (February 2021): 1015–25. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01768.
Laaß K, Quiroz FG, Hunold J, Roberts S, Chilkoti A, Hinderberger D. Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Biomacromolecules. 2021 Feb;22(2):1015–25.
Laaß, Katharina, et al. “Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.Biomacromolecules, vol. 22, no. 2, Feb. 2021, pp. 1015–25. Epmc, doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01768.
Laaß K, Quiroz FG, Hunold J, Roberts S, Chilkoti A, Hinderberger D. Nanoscopic Dynamics Dictate the Phase Separation Behavior of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Biomacromolecules. 2021 Feb;22(2):1015–1025.
Journal cover image

Published In

Biomacromolecules

DOI

EISSN

1526-4602

ISSN

1525-7797

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

22

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1015 / 1025

Related Subject Headings

  • Water
  • Polymers
  • Polymers
  • Organelles
  • Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
  • Amino Acids
  • 09 Engineering
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 03 Chemical Sciences