Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 17: Poster I
CPP 17.1: Poster
Monday, March 9, 2026, 19:00–21:00, P5
How do interfaces shape molecular conformations in condensates? — •Nora-Elen Giesinger1 and Arash Nikoubashman1,2 — 1Leibnitz-Institut für Polymerforschung, Dresden, Germany — 2Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
The interface between biomolecular condensates and their surrounding environment plays an important role for, e.g., regulating the condensate’s stability and interactions with other cellular components. These interfacial properties are primarily dictated by the density and conformation of the constituent biomolecules, but it remains experientially challenging to resolve interfacial properties on the molecular level. Further, the conformations of the constituent biomolecules are influenced by many intertwined factors like sequence patterning, electrostatics, and chain-length diversity. To understand how polymer conformations evolve from the dense condensate interior through the interfacial region into the surrounding dilute phase, we use a minimal model of fully flexible homopolymers. To disentangle effects arising from chain ends, we examine condensates formed from both linear and ring polymers. Molecular dynamics simulation show that polymers gradually collapse as they transition from the bulk-like interior of the condensate to the surrounding dilute aqueous phase. Notably, the condensate interface induces a highly non-monotonic structural crossover between the dense and dilute regions, irrespective of the polymer architecture: the side facing the interface flattens, while the inward-facing side is also compressed. As a result, the monomer cloud loses its spherical symmetry, and chains tend to align tangentially along the interface.
Keywords: biomolecular condensate; interface; polymer conformation