For further information also visit our lab-homepage at http://hymanlab.mpi-cbg.de/hyman_lab.
The Hyman lab studies how phase separation impacts the formation of membraneless compartmentalisation of macromolecules inside living cells. Stemming from our work on C.elegans in 2009 (Brangwynne et al. 2009), observations over the last decade have shown that many non-membrane compartments have liquid-like properties (Banani et al. 2017). The liquid-like nature of condensates is ascertained using microscopy in cells by observing fusion events, round shape, rapid diffusion of components, and a predictable response to changes in thermodynamic parameters such as temperature. Phase separation phenomena can be used to describe the formation of P granules (Brangwynne et al. 2009), nucleoli (Brangwynne et al. 2011), stress granules and centrosomes (Brangwynne et al. 2009) and estimates suggest that at least 30% of proteins in the nucleus are in such compartments (Thul et al. 2017). To capture the role of soft matter physics in describing these compartments, we have termed them biomolecular condensates (Banani et al. 2017). For more details visit: https://hymanlab.org/hyman_lab/research-overview/