Molecular Engineering of DNA Condensates: Harnessing Phase Transitions for Precise Control of Catalytic Functions
Precise manipulation of macromolecular condensates is a pivotal tool for dissecting cellular mechanisms and engineering advanced biomaterials. This study presents a DNA molecular engineering approach that enables dynamic and reversible regulation of phase transitions in DNA condensates. The results show a strong association between the degree of phase transition and the functional properties of DNA condensates, driven by significant alterations in their internal physical microenvironment. Factors such as internal viscosity, fluidity, and the ability to incorporate small molecules into biomolecular condensates are shown to play critical roles in these transitions. This work provides a compelling example of dynamic programming of biomolecular condensate phase transitions, while also offering deeper insights into the interplay between their physical microenvironment and biological functions. These findings support to a broader understanding of the principles underlying biomolecular phase transitions in living systems, with implications for cellular processes, disease mechanisms, and biomedical applications.
Authors
- Yan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5955-1179)
- Weihong Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8066-1524)
- Xuqian Deng
- Lizhuan Zhang
- Juncai Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3169-8646)
- Hao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2376-4452)
- Minhui Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5803-6098)
- Lei He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8615-5673)
- Yuan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1420-0276)
- Yang Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0844-7929)
- Yuchao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2029-9871)
- Mengyuan Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1885-8940)
- Cai Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3486-2624)
- L.L. Chu
Institutions
- Hunan University (CN)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Renji Hospital (CN)
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (CN)
- Theranostics (New Zealand) (NZ)
- Institute for Advanced Study (DE)
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Chemobiosensing and Chemometrics (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2025-06-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c03736
- Primary Topic
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China