Coacervate-pore complexes for selective molecular transport and dynamic reconfiguration

Hao Wang, Hui Zhuang, Wenjing Tang, Jun Zhu, Wei Zhu () and Lingxiang Jiang ()
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Hao Wang: South China University of Technology
Hui Zhuang: South China Agricultural University
Wenjing Tang: South China University of Technology
Jun Zhu: South China University of Technology
Wei Zhu: South China University of Technology
Lingxiang Jiang: South China University of Technology

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Despite surging interests on liquid-state coacervates and condensates, confinement within solid-state pores for selective permeation remains an unexplored area. Drawing inspiration from nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), we design and construct coacervate-pore complexes (CPCs) with regulatable permeability. We demonstrate universal CPC formation across 19 coacervate systems and 5 pore types, where capillarity drives the spontaneous imbibition of coacervate droplets into dispersed or interconnected pores. CPCs regulate through-pore transport by forming a fluidic network that modulates guest molecule permeability based on guest-coacervate affinity, mimicking NPC selectivity. While solid constructs of NPC mimicries are limited by spatial fixation of polymer chains, CPCs of a liquid nature feature dynamic healing and rapid phase transitioning for permeability recovery and regulation, respectively. Looking forward, we expect the current work to establish a basis for developing liquid-based NPC analogs using a large pool of synthetic coacervates and biomolecular condensates.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54510-9

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