Self-assembly coupled to liquid-liquid phase separation

Abstract

Liquid condensate droplets with distinct compositions of proteins and nucleic acids are widespread in biological cells. While it is known that such droplets, or compartments, can regulate irreversible protein aggregation, their effect on reversible self-assembly remains largely unexplored. In this article, we use kinetic theory and solution thermodynamics to investigate the effect of liquid-liquid phase separation on the reversible self-assembly of structures with well-defined sizes and architectures. We find that, when assembling subunits preferentially partition into liquid compartments, robustness against kinetic traps and maximum achievable assembly rates can be significantly increased. In particular, both the range of solution conditions leading to productive assembly and the corresponding assembly rates can increase by orders of magnitude. We analyze the rate equation predictions using simple scaling estimates to identify effects of liquid-liquid phase separation as a function of relevant control parameters. These results may elucidate self-assembly processes that underlie normal cellular functions or pathogenesis, and suggest strategies for designing efficient bottom-up assembly for nanomaterials applications.