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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 39: Focus Session: Theoretical Modeling and Simulation of Biomolecular Condensates III (joint session CPP/BP)
BP 39.5: Vortrag
Freitag, 13. März 2026, 10:45–11:00, ZEU/0260
Entropic Clustering of Stickers Induces Aging in Biocondensates — •Hugo Le Roy1 and Paolo De Los Rios2 — 1Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy — 2Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Neurodegenerative diseases are broadly driven by protein aggregation, such as the accumulation of the presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease. While protein aggregates are often viewed purely as markers of disease, their fundamental role remains poorly understood. For example, extensive RNA editing in the nervous system of squid triggers the formation of similar aggregates, yet preventing this editing is lethal to the organism. To solve this apparent paradox, we investigate the underlying pathway of formation of these aggregates, a process known as condensate "aging". In this scenario, physiological fluid droplets solidify into aggregates over time. Using a minimal physical model that treats complex molecules as stickers and spacers, we explore the connection between the condensates' mechanical properties and their microscopic structure. We show that entropy maximization of spacers leads to an effective attractive force between stickers. As a result, our system displays a surprisingly slow, glassy relaxation toward equilibrium, directly echoing the liquid-to-solid transition observed in aging droplets. By analyzing the clustering dynamics of stickers, we successfully explain the microscopic origin of this glassy relaxation.
Keywords: aging; neurdogenerative diseases; condensate; theoretical biophysics; rheology