Enhanced condensate fluidity in modified patchy particle models

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Taskina, Alena, Magan, Devika, Dannenberg, Simon, Klumpp, Stefan
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Taskina, Alena
Magan, Devika
Dannenberg, Simon
Klumpp, Stefan
author_facet Taskina, Alena
Magan, Devika
Dannenberg, Simon
Klumpp, Stefan
contents Biomolecular condensates are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins, often together with nucleic acids, typically driven by interactions between low-affinity binding sites. The computational study of such condensates that accounts both for the droplet-scale fluid behavior and the internal structure of the condensate requires coarse-grained models. Recently, patchy particle models, representing proteins as sphere with a repulsive core and directional attractive patches, have emerged as a powerful tool. However, these simulations are typically limited by slow dynamics and struggle to capture the full range of material properties of fluid-like condensates. Here we study modified patchy particle models to simulate the formation and dynamics of biomolecular condensates. By incorporating flexible patches and weak isotropic attractions between cores, our models preserve key equilibrium characteristics, including the phase behavior and the local structure of the condensate, while significantly accelerating the system dynamics. These modifications enable the simulation of larger, more complex systems previously inaccessible due to prohibitive relaxation times and provide a versatile tool for studying condensate dynamics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_08836
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Enhanced condensate fluidity in modified patchy particle models
Taskina, Alena
Magan, Devika
Dannenberg, Simon
Klumpp, Stefan
Soft Condensed Matter
Biomolecular condensates are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins, often together with nucleic acids, typically driven by interactions between low-affinity binding sites. The computational study of such condensates that accounts both for the droplet-scale fluid behavior and the internal structure of the condensate requires coarse-grained models. Recently, patchy particle models, representing proteins as sphere with a repulsive core and directional attractive patches, have emerged as a powerful tool. However, these simulations are typically limited by slow dynamics and struggle to capture the full range of material properties of fluid-like condensates. Here we study modified patchy particle models to simulate the formation and dynamics of biomolecular condensates. By incorporating flexible patches and weak isotropic attractions between cores, our models preserve key equilibrium characteristics, including the phase behavior and the local structure of the condensate, while significantly accelerating the system dynamics. These modifications enable the simulation of larger, more complex systems previously inaccessible due to prohibitive relaxation times and provide a versatile tool for studying condensate dynamics.
title Enhanced condensate fluidity in modified patchy particle models
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.08836