Programmable synthetic biomolecular condensates for cellular control
Speaker: Yifan Dai
Online live: Mar 05, 2024 12:00 PM EST Views: 5298
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Q&AAbstract
The formation of biomolecular condensates mediated by a coupling of associative and segregative phase transitions plays a critical role in controlling diverse cellular functions in nature. This has inspired the use of phase transitions to design synthetic systems. While design rules of phase transitions have been established for many synthetic intrinsically disordered proteins, most efforts have focused on investigating their phase behaviors in a test tube. Here, we present a rational engineering approach to program the formation and physical properties of synthetic condensates to achieve intended cellular functions. We demonstrate this approach through targeted plasmid sequestration and transcription regulation in bacteria and modulation of a protein circuit in mammalian cells. Our approach lays the foundation for engineering designer condensates for synthetic biology applications.
(This webinar focuses on the work published in Nat. Chem. Biol., 2023, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-022-01252-8. See the abstract of the article above.)
Highlights
• Rational engineering for precise cellular function manipulation
• A foundation for designing condensates with intended functions
• Applications in bacteria and mammalian cells
Speaker
Yifan Dai, Ph.D.
Assistant professor, McKelvey School of Engineering
Yifan Dai is an assistant professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University, where his labs research focuses on both developin...
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