Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Primes Spider Silk Proteins for Fiber Formation via a Conditional Sticker Domain.
Nano Lett
; 23(12): 5836-5841, 2023 06 28.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37084706
ABSTRACT
Many protein condensates can convert to fibrillar aggregates, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of spider silk proteins, spidroins, suggests a regulatory switch between both states. Here, we combine microscopy and native mass spectrometry to investigate the influence of protein sequence, ions, and regulatory domains on spidroin LLPS. We find that salting out-effects drive LLPS via low-affinity stickers in the repeat domains. Interestingly, conditions that enable LLPS simultaneously cause dissociation of the dimeric C-terminal domain (CTD), priming it for aggregation. Since the CTD enhances LLPS of spidroins but is also required for their conversion into amyloid-like fibers, we expand the stickers and spacers-model of phase separation with the concept of folded domains as conditional stickers that represent regulatory units.
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Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Seda
/
Fibroínas
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nano Lett
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Suecia