Lava Lamp’ Proteins May Help Cells Cheat Death.

Moskvitch, Katia. “‘Lava Lamp’ Proteins May Help Cells Cheat Death.” Quanta Magazine, Simons Foundation, 26 Nov. 2018, www.quantamagazine.org/phase-separating-proteins-may-protect-and-regulate-cells-20181126/.

        In her scientific review, Katia Moskvitch explores the breakthrough discoveries of biophysicist Clifford Brangwynne and his team concerning the existence of liquid-liquid phase separation in cells. Liquid-liquid phase separation is best visualized by the liquid components of a lava lamp which cluster and separate into shifting blobs due to their different densities and incompatible polarities. Recent work in cellular biology suggests that such a phenomenon has been harnessed by evolution to manipulate the metabolism and functioning of cells via proteins in the cytoplasm. Experimentation and imaging indicate that when cells are deprived of nutrients, or otherwise under severe stress through temperature or acidity changes, non membrane-bound metabolic components aggregate and solidify--essentially putting the cell into a hardy condition of stasis. The state change is orchestrated by specific proteins in the cell, whose “identifiable domains” allow the associated cellular matter to shift between its normal fluid state and more gel-like clusters.

        This breakthrough has extensive repercussions for the way we study cell functioning and molecular biology. Streamlined through cleanly cut curriculums, the average science student’s understanding of cell anatomy, metabolism, and normal operations is inherently flawed and oversimplified. Investigation of the manipulation of physical phases by proteins in the cytoplasm is just one example of how the scientific community is looking to enrich its understanding of the most basic unit of life through a different lens. Moreover, this discovery has sparked the interest of scientists around the world who are suggesting other fields where protein liquid-liquid phase separation could take place. For example, neuroscientists have posited that vesicle deployment at neurotic synapses may be purposefully delayed by aggregation, effectually controlling the reception of neurotransmitters.

        I enjoyed Moskvitch’s article because of her ability to put complex microbiological topics in layman's terms. However, I felt that at times, she avoided scientific jargon to the extent that the specific procedures used by the scientists and the types of proteins involved in aggregation were unclear. Reading this article has left me with many unanswered questions: is aggregation a physical or chemical process and why are specific proteins able to regulate it? What is “the domain” of a protein that determines its ability to regulation phase change? What are the long-term effects of solidifying organelles and proteins and are they able to recover their functions? I look forward to seeing liquid-liquid phase separation explored in future scientific discussions and perhaps in the future, it could be manipulated by humans to treat disseminating diseases by delaying spread between cells.