Phase separation propensity of the intrinsically disordered AB region of human RXRβ

Transforming waste into valuables: Preparation and evaluation of dual-ligand hydrophobic charge-induction chromatography using two poor performing ligands

In conventional chromatographic ligand screening, underperforming ligands are often dismissed. However, this practice may inadvertently overlook potential opportunities. This study aims to investigate whether these underperforming ligands can be repurposed as valuable assets. Hydrophobic charge-induction chromatography (HCIC) is chosen as the validation target for its potential as an innovative chromatographic mode. A novel dual-ligand approach is employed, combining two suboptimal ligands (5-Aminobenzimidazole and Tryptamine) to explore enhanced performance and optimization prospects. Various dual-ligand HCIC resins with different ligand densities were synthesized by adjusting the ligand ratio and concentration. The resins were characterized to assess appearance, functional groups, and pore features using SEM, FTIR, and ISEC techniques. Performance assessments were conducted using single-ligand mode resins as controls, evaluating the selectivity against human immunoglobulin G and human serum albumin. Static adsorption experiments were performed to understand pH and salt influence on adsorption. Breakthrough experiments were conducted to assess dynamic adsorption capacity of the novel resin. Finally, chromatographic separation using human serum was performed to evaluate the purity and yield of the resin. Results indicated that the dual-ligand HCIC resin designed for human antibodies demonstrates exceptional selectivity, surpassing not only single ligand states but also outperforming certain high-performing ligand types, particularly under specific salt and pH conditions. Ultimately, a high yield of 83.9 % and purity of 96.7 % were achieved in the separation of hIgG from human serum with the dual-ligand HCIC, significantly superior to the single-ligand resins. In conclusion, through rational design and proper operational conditions, the dual-ligand mode can revitalize underutilized ligands, potentially introducing novel and promising chromatographic modes.

Understanding how genetically encoded tags affect phase separation by Heterochromatin Protein HP1α

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is driven by weak multi-valent interactions. Such interactions can result in the formation of puncta in cells and droplets in vitro . The heterochromatin protein HP1α forms droplets with chromatin in vitro and is found in puncta in cells. A common approach to visualize the dynamics of HP1α in cells is to genetically encode fluorescent tags on the protein. HP1α modified with tags such as GFP has been shown to localize to dynamic puncta in vivo . However, whether tagged HP1α retains its intrinsic phase separation properties has not been systematically studied. Here, using different C-terminal tags (AID-sfGFP, mEGFP, and UnaG), we assessed how tag size and linker length affected the phase separation ability of HP1α with DNA in vitro . We found that the AID-sfGFP tag (52 kDa) promoted HP1α phase-separation, possibly driven by the highly disordered AID degron. The mEGFP tag (27 kDa) inhibited phase-separation by HP1α, whereas an UnaG tag (13 kDa) with a 16 amino acid linker showed minimal perturbation. The UnaG tag can thus be used in cellular studies of HP1α to better correlate in vitro and in vivo studies. To test if cellular crowding overcomes the negative effects of large tags in vivo , we used polyethylene glycol (PEG) to mimic crowding in vitro . We found that addition of 10% PEG8000 or PEG4000 enables phase separation by GFP-tagged HP1α at comparable concentrations as untagged HP1α. However, these crowding agents also substantially dampened the differences in phase-separation between wild-type and mutant HP1α proteins. PEG further drove phase-separation of Maltose Binding Protein (MBP), a tag often used to solubilize other proteins. These results suggest that phase-separation of biological macromolecules with PEG should be interpreted with caution as PEG-based crowding agents may change the types of interactions made within the phases.