DNA Local Flexibility Dependent Assembly of Phase Separated Liquid Droplets

Phase separation of intracellular components has been recently realized as a mechanism by which cells achieve membraneless organization. Here, we study the associative liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of DNA upon complexation with cationic polypeptides. Comparing the phase behavior of different single-stranded (ss) as well as double-stranded (ds) DNA sequences that differ in persistence lengths, we find that DNA local flexibility, not simply charge density, determines the LLPS. Furthermore, in a nucleotide and DNA dependent manner, free nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs) promote LLPS of polypeptide-dsDNA complexes that are otherwise prone to precipitation.

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