PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Konstantinos Mazarakos
AU  - Huan-Xiang Zhou
TI  - Multiphase Organization Is a Second Phase Transition Within Multi-Component Biomolecular Condensates
AID  - 10.1101/2021.09.13.460104
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.09.13.460104
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/16/2021.09.13.460104.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/16/2021.09.13.460104.full
AB  - We present a mean-field theory for the multiphase organization of multi-component biomolecular condensates and validate the theory by molecular dynamics simulations of model mixtures. A first phase transition results in the separation of the dense phase from the bulk phase. In a second phase transition, the components in the dense phase demix to localize in separate regions that attach to each other. The second phase transition occurs when the strength of cross-species attraction goes below the mean strength of the self-attraction of the individual species and reaches a critical value. At a given strength of cross-species attraction, both of the phase transitions can be observed by decreasing temperature, leading first to phase separation and then to demixing of the dense phase. The theory and simulations establish the disparity in strength between self and cross-species attraction as a main driver for the multiphase organization of multi-component biomolecular condensates.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.