Percolation Theory Used to Design Biomolecular Condensates

Abstract

ABSTRACTBiomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are crucial for various life activities. Critical phenomena are observed during LLPS in cells andin vitro, but few studies provide quantitative theoretical explanations for them. In this study, we set up a Bethe network model to simulate percolation, which explains LLPS quantitatively and semi-quantitatively. We designed a condensate system to determine the peptide’s affinity to its target protein. Finally, we found that the artificial condensate can modify the catalytic reaction’s efficiency. Thus, we provide a new perspective on understanding biomolecular condensate assembly and lay the foundation for artificially designing biomolecular condensates.