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Cui H, Zhang Y, Shen Y, Zhu S, Tian J, Li Q, Shen Y, Liu S, Cao Y, Shum HC. Dynamic Assembly of Viscoelastic Networks by Aqueous Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Liquid-Solid Phase Separation (AqLL-LS PS 2 ). Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2205649. [PMID: 36222390 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202205649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Living cells comprise diverse subcellular structures, such as cytoskeletal networks, which can regulate essential cellular activities through dynamic assembly and synergistic interactions with biomolecular condensates. Despite extensive efforts, reproducing viscoelastic networks for modulating biomolecular condensates in synthetic systems remains challenging. Here, a new aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is proposed, which consists of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and dextran (DEX), to construct viscoelastic networks capable of being assembled and dissociated dynamically to regulate the self-assembly of condensates on-demand. Viscoelastic networks are generated using liquid-liquid phase-separated DEX droplets as templates and the following liquid-to-solid transition of the PNIPAM-rich phase. The resulting networks can dissolve liquid fused in sarcoma (FUS) condensates within 5 min. This work demonstrates rich phase-separation behaviors in a single ATPS through incorporating stimuli-responsive polymers. The concept can potentially be applied to other macromolecules through other stimuli to develop materials with rich phase behaviors and hierarchical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanqing Cui
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
| | - Yinan Shen
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Shipei Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Jingxuan Tian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
| | - Qingchuan Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Sihan Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
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