Modeling Phase Behavior and Stability in Multicomponent Biomolecular Condensates with Multiple Binding Sites

Biomolecular condensates are membraneless structures formed through liquid-liquid phase separation. They consist of proteins, nucleic acids and other biomolecules. These condensates play roles in processes such as RNA metabolism, signal transduction, stress responses, and gene regulation. Biomolecular condensates can be considered as a cocktail of different types of entities, where the complicated interactions drive the condensate into different phases. Here we study the multicomponent nature of such condensates with a mean-field approach as well as simulations. We incorporate the interactions between various biomolecules within the condensate to predict of phase behavior, concentration profiles, and the overall stability of a mixture. We extend our model to incorporate multiple "binding sites" with different affinities for the different species. We find that the models we explore that account for anisotropy, in conjunction with mean-field analysis, offer an excellent framework for analyzing the phase behavior of biomolecular condensates.