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《山东大学学报(理学版)》 ›› 2025, Vol. 60 ›› Issue (10): 1-12.doi: 10.6040/j.issn.1671-9352.0.2025.251

• 胶体与界面化学专刊 •    

生物分子凝聚体的界面张力

李广乐1,闫学海1,2,3*   

  1. 1.中国科学院过程工程研究所生物药制备与递送全国重点实验室, 北京 100190;2.中国科学院大学化学工程学院, 北京 100049;3.中国科学院过程工程研究所介科学中心, 北京 100190
  • 发布日期:2025-10-17
  • 通讯作者: 闫学海(1979— ),男,研究员,博士,研究方向为生物分子自组装. E-mail: yanxh@ipe.ac.cn
  • 作者简介:李广乐(1990— ),男,研究员,博士,研究方向为生物分子凝聚体. E-mail: liguangle@ipe.ac.cn*通信作者:闫学海(1979— ),男,研究员,博士,研究方向为生物分子自组装. E-mail: yanxh@ipe.ac.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划项目(2023YFA0915300);国家自然科学基金资助项目(22025207,22232006,22402204);中国科学院国际伙伴计划项目(039GJHZ2023064GC)

Interfacial tension of biomolecular condensates

LI Guangle1, YAN Xuehai1,2,3*   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;
    2. School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    3. Center for Mesoscience, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
  • Published:2025-10-17

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摘要： 生物分子凝聚体作为通过液-液相分离形成的无膜细胞器,在细胞时空组织和功能调控中发挥关键作用。本综述聚焦于界面张力这一核心物理化学参数,系统阐述界面张力的热力学基础、测量方法及其对凝聚体稳定性的调控机制。基于Flory-Huggins模型揭示界面张力在凝聚体形成、粗化、多相组装及与细胞结构的相互作用中的驱动作用。综述光镊诱导融合、微管吸吮和形状分析等多种体外和原位测量技术,并比较生物分子凝聚体与传统油水体系的界面特性差异。同时,探讨利用内在无序蛋白Pickering稳定剂和两亲性嵌段共聚物调控界面张力以提升凝聚体稳定性的最新进展。这些研究不仅深化对细胞区室化物理化学机制的理解,还为神经退行性疾病和肿瘤等相分离相关疾病的治疗提供潜在思路。

关键词: 生物分子凝聚体, 界面张力, 液-液相分离

Abstract: Biomolecular condensates, as membraneless organelles formed through liquid-liquid phase separation, play critical roles in cellular spatiotemporal organization and functional regulation. This review focuses on their interfacial tension, a core physicochemical parameter, and systematically elucidates its thermodynamic foundations, measurement methods, and regulatory mechanisms on condensate stability. Based on the Flory-Huggins model, it reveals the driving role of interfacial tension in condensate formation, coarsening, multiphase assembly, and interactions with cellular structures. Various in vitro and in situ measurement techniques, including optical tweezers-induced fusion, micropipette aspiration, and condensate shape analysis, are reviewed, along with comparisons of interfacial properties between biomolecular condensates and traditional oil-water systems. Additionally, recent advances in modulating interfacial tension to enhance condensate stability using intrinsically disordered protein as Pickering stabilizers and amphiphilic block copolymers are discussed. These studies not only deepen the understanding of the physicochemical mechanisms underlying cellular compartmentalization but also provide potential new strategies for treating diseases associated with aberrant phase separation, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancers.

Key words: biomolecular condensate, interfacial tension, liquid-liquid phase separation

中图分类号: 

  • O648
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