Macromolecular condensation buffers intracellular water potential

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Joseph L. Watson - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Estere Seinkmane - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Christine T. Styles - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Andrei Mihut - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Lara K. Krüger - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Kerrie E. McNally - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Vicente Jose Planelles-Herrero - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Michal Dudek - , University of Manchester (Author)
  • Patrick M. McCall - , Clusters of Excellence PoL: Physics of Life, Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures (CMCB), Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Author)
  • Silvia Barbiero - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Michael Vanden Oever - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Sew Yeu Peak-Chew - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Benjamin T. Porebski - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Aiwei Zeng - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Nina M. Rzechorzek - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • David C.S. Wong - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Andrew D. Beale - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Alessandra Stangherlin - , Medical Research Council (MRC), University of Cologne (Author)
  • Margot Riggi - , University of Utah (Author)
  • Janet Iwasa - , University of Utah (Author)
  • Jörg Morf - , Babraham Institute (Author)
  • Christos Miliotis - , Babraham Institute (Author)
  • Alina Guna - , California Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Alison J. Inglis - , California Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Jan Brugués - , Clusters of Excellence PoL: Physics of Life, Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures (CMCB), Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Author)
  • Rebecca M. Voorhees - , California Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Joseph E. Chambers - , University of Cambridge (Author)
  • Qing Jun Meng - , University of Manchester (Author)
  • John S. O’Neill - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)
  • Rachel S. Edgar - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Emmanuel Derivery - , Medical Research Council (MRC) (Author)

Abstract

Optimum protein function and biochemical activity critically depends on water availability because solvent thermodynamics drive protein folding and macromolecular interactions 1. Reciprocally, macromolecules restrict the movement of ‘structured’ water molecules within their hydration layers, reducing the available ‘free’ bulk solvent and therefore the total thermodynamic potential energy of water, or water potential. Here, within concentrated macromolecular solutions such as the cytosol, we found that modest changes in temperature greatly affect the water potential, and are counteracted by opposing changes in osmotic strength. This duality of temperature and osmotic strength enables simple manipulations of solvent thermodynamics to prevent cell death after extreme cold or heat shock. Physiologically, cells must sustain their activity against fluctuating temperature, pressure and osmotic strength, which impact water availability within seconds. Yet, established mechanisms of water homeostasis act over much slower timescales 2,3; we therefore postulated the existence of a rapid compensatory response. We find that this function is performed by water potential-driven changes in macromolecular assembly, particularly biomolecular condensation of intrinsically disordered proteins. The formation and dissolution of biomolecular condensates liberates and captures free water, respectively, quickly counteracting thermal or osmotic perturbations of water potential, which is consequently robustly buffered in the cytoplasm. Our results indicate that biomolecular condensation constitutes an intrinsic biophysical feedback response that rapidly compensates for intracellular osmotic and thermal fluctuations. We suggest that preserving water availability within the concentrated cytosol is an overlooked evolutionary driver of protein (dis)order and function.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)842-852
Number of pages11
JournalNature
Volume623
Issue number7988
Publication statusPublished - 23 Nov 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37853127

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas