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SUMMARY:Mechanical Frustration of Phase Separation in the Cell Nucleus by 
 Chromatin - Yaojun Zhang (Johns Hopkins University)
DTSTART:20231018T133000Z
DTEND:20231018T143000Z
UID:TALK206728@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:Liquid-liquid phase separation is a fundamental mechanism unde
 rlying biological organization. While conventional theory predicts that a 
 single phase-separated condensate would be energetically favored\, both na
 tural and synthetic condensates in cells typically appear as multiple disp
 ersed droplets with suppressed growth dynamics. Here\, we combine coarse-g
 rained molecular dynamics simulations and theory of liquid-liquid phase se
 paration to show that mechanical interactions with chromatin can constrain
  the size of droplets in the nucleus. The "gel-like" chromatin suppresses 
 both droplet coalescence and ripening dynamics\, resulting in a reduced sc
 aling exponent for mean droplet radius versus time. Our work highlights th
 e impact of the local mechanical environment on biomolecular condensate fo
 rmation and growth\, and further elucidates the role of mechanics in funda
 mental biological processes taking place in the cell nucleus.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Newton Institute
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