Heme sequestration and signaling in molecular condensates.
- 1Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TS UK [email protected].
- 2Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TS UK.
- 3School of Chemistry, University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TS UK.
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms responsible for intracellular heme regulation remains a significant challenge. Here, we use molecularly crowded condensate droplets to sequester heme-binding sensor proteins that are subsequently activated by the uptake of free heme from aqueous solution. We demonstrate competitive heme binding and heme-mediated signaling within the membraneless coacervate droplets, and construct programmable synthetic/living cell communication networks capable of concatenated Boolean logic functions. Our results indicate that coacervate microdroplets are potential scaffolds for housing heme-sensor networks and provide a simplified model for exploring how biomolecular condensates may influence heme availability in cellular environments.
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BibTeX
@article{mishra2026heme,
title = {{Heme sequestration and signaling in molecular condensates.}},
author = {Ananya Mishra and Andrea E Gallio and Emma L Raven and Avinash J Patil and Stephen Mann},
journal = {Chemical science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6sc06692e},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923335},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Heme sequestration and signaling in molecular condensates.
AU - Ananya Mishra
AU - Andrea E Gallio
AU - Emma L Raven
AU - Avinash J Patil
AU - Stephen Mann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Chemical science
DO - 10.1039/d6sc06692e
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923335
AB - Understanding the mechanisms responsible for intracellular heme regulation remains a significant challenge. Here, we use molecularly crowded condensate droplets to sequester heme-binding sensor proteins that are subsequently activated by the uptake of free heme from aqueous solution. We demonstrate competitive heme binding and heme-mediated signaling within the membraneless coacervate droplets, and construct programmable synthetic/living cell communication networks capable of concatenated Boolean logic functions. Our results indicate that coacervate microdroplets are potential scaffolds for housing heme-sensor networks and provide a simplified model for exploring how biomolecular condensates may influence heme availability in cellular environments.
SN - 2041-6520
SN - 2041-6539
ER -