Mechanical Frustration of Phase Separation in the Cell Nucleus by Chromatin. Author Yaojun Zhang, Daniel Lee, Yigal Meir, Clifford Brangwynne, Ned Wingreen Publication Year 2021 Type Journal Article Abstract Liquid-liquid phase separation is a fundamental mechanism underlying subcellular organization. Motivated by the striking observation that optogenetically generated droplets in the nucleus display suppressed coarsening dynamics, we study the impact of chromatin mechanics on droplet phase separation. We combine theory and simulation to show that cross-linked chromatin can mechanically suppress droplets' coalescence and ripening, as well as quantitatively control their number, size, and placement. Our results highlight the role of the subcellular mechanical environment on condensate regulation. Keywords Biomechanical Phenomena, Humans, Thermodynamics, Cell Nucleus, Cell Line, Tumor, Phase Transition, Models, Chemical, Surface Properties, Chromatin Journal Phys Rev Lett Volume 126 Issue 25 Pages 258102 Date Published 2021 Jun 25 ISSN Number 1079-7114 DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.258102 Alternate Journal Phys Rev Lett PMCID PMC8604804 PMID 34241518 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML