
生物分子凝縮体の物質交換ダイナミクスは、凝縮体と希薄相の間の界面抵抗によって大きく影響を受ける可能性がある。


coremsg

A hallmark of biomolecular condensates formed via liquid-liquid phase separation is that they dynamically exchange material with their surroundings, and this process can be crucial to condensate function. Intuitively, the rate of exchange can be limited by the flux from the dilute phase or by the mixing speed in the dense phase. Surprisingly, a recent experiment suggests that exchange can also be limited by the dynamics at the droplet interface, implying the existence of an “interface resistance”. Here, we first derive an analytical expression for the timescale of condensate material exchange, which clearly conveys the physical factors controlling exchange dynamics. We then utilize sticker-spacer polymer models to show that interface resistance can arise when incident molecules transiently touch the interface without entering the dense phase, i.e., the molecules “bounce” from the interface. Our work provides insight into condensate exchange dynamics, with implications for both natural and synthetic systems.

### Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

生物分子凝縮体の界面抵抗