Home Chemistry Clinical Diagnostics Environmental Food Forensics Life Science Materials Science Pharmaceutical Welcome Guest Sign In Register Articles Product Guide Featured Products Product Reviews Product Videos News Home News Unlocking the Code Behind Viscoelasticity in Protein-RNA Droplets Unlocking the Code Behind Viscoelasticity in Protein-RNA Droplets Posted: November 16, 2021 Share Email Certain properties and functions of membraneless organelles (MLOs) have been linked to diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer, and being able to quantify the factors that affect these properties can lead to a better understanding of how to treat and prevent these conditions. The production of protein-RNA condensates in a laboratory, which mimic the properties of MLOs, helps researchers study the interactions between condensate components and the associated fluid dynamics. Researchers from the University at Buffalo have used lab-made biocondensates and microrheology with optical tweezers to uncover how the specific amino acids within the droplets impact their viscous and elastic properties. Passive microrheology with optical tweezers (pMOT) was used to measure the viscoelasticity of a series of lab-made droplets, which were formed by disordered sticker-space polypeptides and RNA. The researchers found that the condensates exhibited the properties of a Maxwell fluid: at shorter timescales, the condensates behaved more like elastic solids, while at longer timescales, they acted more as viscous liquids. Further experiments testing the incorporation of different peptide sequences revealed that the placement of specific sticker and spacer residues within the sequences resulted in more elastic or more viscous properties, allowing for the overall viscoelasticity to be programmed by tuning these amino acid placements. This study was published in Nature Communications. “It may seem like a small change to replace just a single amino acid in the entire peptide sequence. Yet, our computer simulations show that some amino acids are way ‘stickier’ when it comes to binding to RNA molecules,” said Davit A. Potoyan, one of the paper’s corresponding authors. “This differential stickiness at microscopic scales then propagates to create large-scale changes in the fluid properties of condensates. That’s the main story of this research.” Quantifying viscoelasticity in MLOs using methods such as those described in the study can help to further identify how factors such as mutations and aging impact the properties and functions of these biocondensates, said fellow corresponding author Priya R. Banerjee. Further understand of these dynamics can bring scientists closer to combatting certain disease processes. Photo: Bright-field image of micron-scale viscoelastic protein-RNA droplets. Credit: Ibraheem Alshareedah/Banerjee Lab Subscribe to our e-Newsletters! Stay up to date with the latest news, articles, and events. Plus, get special offers from Labcompare – all delivered right to your inbox! Sign up now! Related Product Categories Rheometers / Viscometers » Life Science Research » Product Guide Analytical Instruments Chemical Analysis Equipment Chromatography Clinical Diagnostics Environmental Test Equipment Food Testing Equipment Forensic Laboratory Equipment General Laboratory Equipment Laboratory Supplies Lasers and Optical Components Life Science Research Mass Spectrometry Materials Research Microscopy Petroleum Testing Equipment Pharmaceutical Lab Equipment Spectroscopy Test and Measurement more products from labcompare » Most Recent Articles Adeno-Associated Viruses: Why They Are Suitable for Gene Therapy Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best GC Columns Friday, October 22, 2021 Adherent or Suspension? How to Select the Right Production Method for Your Cell Culture Process Tuesday, October 19, 2021 LABTips: How to Prevent Tailing Peaks in HPLC Friday, October 15, 2021 How Synthetic Biology Has Shaped COVID-19 Response Tuesday, October 12, 2021 About American Lab Issue Archive Privacy Policy Disclaimer Advertise with Us Request Information View Media Kit View Ad Specifications Resources Featured Articles Featured Products Product Guide Subscription Subscribe eNewsletters Connect with Us Facebook Twitter American Lab is Powered by Labcompare, the Buyer's Guide for Laboratory Professionals See our other sites » Copyright © 2021 CompareNetworks, Inc. All rights reserved.