Electrochemical properties of biomolecular condensates may be useful in developing cancer or ALS treatments

Much of the behavior of cells is governed by the action of biomolecular condensates. If necessary, stitch together the gloms to form block molecules scattered. Biomolecular condensates always shift phases, sometimes solid, sometimes like drops of vinegar oil and other stages in between.

Understanding the electrochemical properties of such slippery molecules is a recent focus for researchers at Washington University in St. Louis.

In a study published in Nature Chemistry, Yifan Dai, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at McKelvey School of Engineering, shares rules that include intracellular electrochemical properties that affect intracellular movement and chemical activity, and how they affect cellular processes as condensed year AS. This study can inform the onset of treatment for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and cancer.

Extracellular flow – the movement of ions between cell membrane channels – has been well studied, but little is known about the same electrochemical field acting within the cell.

“In the past century, people have learned a lot about the electrochemical effects caused by extracellular environment perturbations. But in the intracellular world, we still don’t know much,” Dai said.

This task is one of the first steps to writing these rules. Dai and collaborators at Stanford University, including Professor Guosong Hong and Richard N. Zare, have shown that post-condensation condensation and non-equilibrium processes themselves are ways to modulate the electrochemical dynamics of the environment.

Imagine a huge conference hall with lots of groups of people watching the poster. Some of those people may wish for others to follow another exhibit or bring in attention to another subject.

This is how condensates work, go where they stick, affect the movement of other condensates, and change to the pH of the surrounding environment. As Dai and colleagues have discovered, playing on the surface of these condensate can also affect the potential.

They determined that the potential for electrochemicals is also regulated by “intermolecular interactions and interfacial effects associated with aging.”

Think about that Conference Hall of People. During the day, these interactions are suboptimal as individuals experience fatigue and stress.

“The surface of the condensate will change during the aging process,” Die said.

Back in the molecular domain, we can understand the potential disruptions that can cause medical care, as these “aging-related” interactions can lead to dysfunction and diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.

They were able to adjust the potential by modifying the surface of the condensate. By measuring the alignment of molecules, the surface potential of the ion flow can also be determined, and most importantly, we can find ways to manipulate these surface signals to drive healthy biological responses.

“Hopefully, this work can shed light on the notion that condensate is not just a biomolecule,” Dai said.