Viscosity Regulation of Chemically Simple Condensates

This study investigates the viscosity and liquid-solid transition behavior of biomolecular condensates formed by polyarginine chains (R_<i>x</i>) of varying lengths and citric acid (CA) derivatives. By condensing R_<i>x</i> chains of various lengths with CA derivatives, we showed that the shorter R_<i>x</i> chains attenuate the high aggregation tendency of the longer chains when condensed with CA. A mixture of different R_<i>x</i> lengths exhibited uniform intracondensate distribution, while its mobility largely depended on the ratio of the longer R_<i>x</i> chain. Our findings demonstrate a simple method to modulate condensate properties by adjusting the composition of scaffold molecules, shedding light on the role of molecular composition in controlling condensate viscosity and transition dynamics. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of biomolecular condensation processes and offers insights into potential strategies for manipulating condensate properties for various applications, including in the fields of synthetic biology and disease therapeutics in the future.