Computational Insights into Phase Separation of Multivalent Polymers

Liquid-liquid phase separation has emerged as an important biological process. In membraneless organelles, phase separation in solution is often controlled by weak multivalent interactions between polymers using a variety of bond types. How to control phase compositions and specificity in biological contexts is still not well understood. In this work we compare phase separation of multivalent polymers through non-specific Van der Waals interactions to phase separation through specific reactive-binding interactions. We use a coarse-grain, reactive-binding, Brownian dynamics simulation to investigate the transition dynamics, resulting compositions, and specificity of polymer phase separation. Our results provide insights on how multivalently binding polymers control phase separation in synthetic and biological systems.