학술논문
Liquid spherical shells are a non-equilibrium steady state of active droplets.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Bergmann AM; School of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany.; Bauermann J; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187, Dresden, Germany.; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany.; Bartolucci G; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187, Dresden, Germany.; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany.; Donau C; School of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany.; Stasi M; School of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany.; Holtmannspötter AL; School of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany.; Jülicher F; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187, Dresden, Germany.; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany.; Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technical University of Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.; Weber CA; Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Materials Engineering: Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 1, 86159, Augsburg, Germany. christoph.weber@physik.uni-augsburg.de.; Boekhoven J; School of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany. job.boekhoven@tum.de.
Source
Publisher: Nature Pub. Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101528555 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2041-1723 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20411723 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nat Commun Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE; MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation yields spherical droplets that eventually coarsen to one large, stable droplet governed by the principle of minimal free energy. In chemically fueled phase separation, the formation of phase-separating molecules is coupled to a fuel-driven, non-equilibrium reaction cycle. It thus yields dissipative structures sustained by a continuous fuel conversion. Such dissipative structures are ubiquitous in biology but are poorly understood as they are governed by non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Here, we bridge the gap between passive, close-to-equilibrium, and active, dissipative structures with chemically fueled phase separation. We observe that spherical, active droplets can undergo a morphological transition into a liquid, spherical shell. We demonstrate that the mechanism is related to gradients of short-lived droplet material. We characterize how far out of equilibrium the spherical shell state is and the chemical power necessary to sustain it. Our work suggests alternative avenues for assembling complex stable morphologies, which might already be exploited to form membraneless organelles by cells.
(© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)
(© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)