The Wide World of Coacervates: From the Sea to Neurodegeneration

• Published in: Trends in biochemical sciences (Amsterdam. Regular ed.) 2020-08, Vol.45 (8), p.706-717
• Main Authors: Astoricchio, Emanuele, Alfano, Caterina, Rajendran, Lawrence, Temussi, Piero Andrea, Pastore, Annalisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cellular compartmentalization; confinement; liquid–liquid phase transition; marine organisms; membraneless particles
• ISSN: 0968-0004; 1362-4326
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2020.04.006

The formation of immiscible liquid phases or coacervates is a phenomenon widely observed in biology. Marine organisms, for instance, use liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) as the precursor phase to form various fibrillar or crustaceous materials that are essential for surface adhesion. More recently, the importance of LLPS has been realized in the compartmentalization of living cells and in obtaining ordered but dynamic partitions that can be reversed according to necessity. Here, we compare the properties, features, and peculiarities of intracellular and extracellular coacervates, drawing parallels and learning from the differences. A more general view of the phenomenon may in the future inform new studies to allow a better comprehension of its laws. Coacervates play key roles in various essential biological processes.In marine organisms, extracellular coacervates are important for the creation of strong adhesion that can resist tides and rough seas.Intracellular coacervates have evolved to create resilient but dynamic compartments in the eukaryotic cell.Despite being based on the same physical laws, the two fields have traditionally been kept separated.It is thus in order to compare the commonalities of and differences between intra- and extracellular coacervates.This comparison allows us to learn about the functional requirements that both processes involve and to formulate new hypotheses that can then be tested experimentally.