Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 17: Focus Session: Nonlinear Dynamics in Biological Systems II (joint session DY/BP)
DY 17.3: Talk
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 14:45–15:00, H43
Active viscoelastic condensates provide controllable mechanical anchor points — •Oliver Paulin1, Luise Zieger2,3, Júlia Garcia-Baucells5, Alexander Dammermann5, Sebastian Aland2,3,4, and David Zwicker1 — 1Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen — 2TU Bergakademie Freiberg — 3HTW Dresden — 4Center for Systems Biology, Dresden — 5Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna
Many biological materials must couple mechanical strength with the ability to rapidly self-assemble at a specific location. In particular, biomolecular condensates readily self-assemble via phase separation, but may also need to anchor external forces to fulfil their function. Spatial localisation of condensate formation can be controlled by active cores that preferentially drive the production of condensate material at a particular point, while resistance to external forces can be facilitated by viscoelastic material properties. Here, we develop a continuum model of viscoelastic growth around an active core, and investigate the results in a spherically symmetric geometry. We find that viscoelastic stresses restrict condensate growth, but also impart resistance to deformation. We investigate the effect of varying different mechanical properties on condensate growth and strength, and also study how strain-dependent material incorporation may limit the maximum rate of growth. Finally, we compare the predictions of our model to experimental data from centrosomes in C. elegans embryos, identifying a parameter regime in which rapid growth can be combined with appropriate mechanical strength.
Keywords: Biomolecular condensates; Viscoelasticity; Centrosomes