Unusual liquid–liquid phase transition in aqueous mixtures of a well-known dendrimer

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (43) ◽  
pp. 28818-28829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana C. P. da Costa ◽  
Onofrio Annunziata

Salt induces liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of the aqueous solutions of a dendrimer. LLPS occurs by cooling at low salt concentration and by heating at high salt concentration.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroya Tange ◽  
Daisuke Ishibashi ◽  
Takehiro Nakagaki ◽  
Yuzuru Taguchi ◽  
Yuji O. Kamatari ◽  
...  

AbstractPrion diseases are characterized by accumulation of amyloid fibrils. The causative agent is an infectious amyloid that is comprised solely of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Prions can convert PrPC to proteinase-resistant PrP (PrP-res) in vitro; however, the intermediate steps involved in the spontaneous conversion remain unknown. We investigated whether recombinant prion protein (rPrP) can directly convert into PrP-res via liquid-liquid phase separation in the absence of PrPSc. We found that rPrP underwent liquid-liquid phase separation at the interface of the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran, whereas single-phase conditions were not inducible. Fluorescence recovery assay after photobleaching revealed that the liquid-solid phase transition occurred within a short time. The aged rPrP-gel acquired proteinase-resistant amyloid accompanied by β-sheet conversion, as confirmed by western blotting, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Congo red staining. The reactions required both the N-terminal region of rPrP (amino acids 23-89) and kosmotropic salts, suggesting that the kosmotropic anions may interact with the N-terminal region of rPrP to promote liquid-liquid phase separation. Thus, structural conversion via liquid–liquid phase separation and liquid–solid phase transition are intermediate steps in the conversion of prions.


Soft Matter ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Pullara ◽  
Ibraheem Alshareedah ◽  
Priya Banerjee

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of multivalent biopolymers is a ubiquitous process in biological systems and is of importance in bio-mimetic soft matter design. The phase behavior of biomolecules, such as...


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (42) ◽  
pp. 23238-23268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Bachler ◽  
Philip H. Handle ◽  
Nicolas Giovambattista ◽  
Thomas Loerting

Water is an intriguing substance. It shows sharp and reversible transitions between amorphous ices and, possibly, a liquid–liquid phase transition. Here, we discuss how this behavior is altered by the addition of solutes, such as salts and alcohols.


2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svyatoslav P. Gabuda ◽  
Svetlana G. Kozlova ◽  
Nikolay B. Kompankov ◽  
Ksenia S. Redkina

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