A label-free method for measuring the composition of multicomponent biomolecular condensates

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Abstract
Many subcellular compartments are biomolecular condensates made of multiple components, often including several distinct proteins and nucleic acids. However, current tools to measure condensate composition are limited and cannot capture this complexity quantitatively because they either require fluorescent labels, which can perturb composition, or can distinguish only one or two components. Here we describe a label-free method based on quantitative phase imaging and analysis of tie-lines and refractive index to measure the composition of reconstituted condensates with multiple components. We first validate the method empirically in binary mixtures, revealing sequence-encoded density variation and complex ageing dynamics for condensates composed of full-length proteins. We then use analysis of tie-lines and refractive index to simultaneously resolve the concentrations of five macromolecular solutes in multicomponent condensates containing RNA and constructs of multiple RNA-binding proteins. Our measurements reveal an unexpected decoupling of density and composition, highlighting the need to determine molecular stoichiometry in multicomponent condensates. We foresee this approach enabling the study of compositional regulation of condensate properties and function.
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Funding Information
  • Volkswagen Foundation (96827)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (EXC-2068– 390729961)

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