Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation
Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation
General context
The concept of liquid-liquid phase separation provides a rationale for the cellular organization of cytoplasmic and nuclear components into biomolecular condensates. These biomolecular condensates can serve as specialized regions for biochemical reactions, dynamically sequester components or act as organizational hubs for signaling networks. In recent years, the interests in how these biomolecular condensates are formed, how they are organized, and what their functional properties are has grown substantially, and has led to increasing evidence that dysregulation of liquid-liquid phase separation contributes to neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. To keep up to date with the latest developments and break-throughs in this field, we organize a VIB training day on ‘Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation’.
The aim of this training day is – after a brief introduction – to provide guidelines for accurate experimental characterization of LLPS processes in vitro and in cells. We will end the day with a discussion on the implications of dysregulation of liquid-liquid phase separation for human disease. We have invited top-notch speakers on this topic to inform you on the latest developments.
This training targets scientists who want to keep up-to-date with the latest evolutions in the field of liquid-liquid phase separation. The training is aimed at PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, technicians or other scientists with a molecular biology background.
Eleonora Leucci, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven
Thomas Moens, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research
Peter Tompa, VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology
Participation is free for all participants.
Trainers
Anthony Hyman
Alex Holehouse
Dorothée Dormann
Kaveh Daneshvar
Steven Boeynaems
Avinash Patel
Maria Hondele
Ina Vorberg
Program
Online registration
Introduction
Welcome
Biomolecular Condensates and their Implications for Physiology and Disease
Anthony Hyman, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics, DE
Physical principles of phase separation
Alex Holehouse, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, US
Q&A - networking break
Function of condensates
Control of phase separation by nuclear import receptors
Dorothée Dormann, BioMedical Center, Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, DE
Control of gene activation by phase-separated lncRNA-protein condensates
Kaveh Daneshvar, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, US
Q&A - Networking
In vitro assays
Engineering protein phase separation: decoding/encoding function in natural and synthetic systems
Steven Boeynaems, Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, US
Biochemical reconstitution of biomolecular condensates to interrogate cell physiology and disease
Avinash Patel, Dewpoint Therapeutics, Dresden, DE
Q&A - Networking break
Dysregulation of phase separation and its implications
Control principles of cellular condensation
Maria Hondele, Biozentrum, University of Basel, CH
Aggregation and spreading behavior of a prion-like domain in mammalian cells
Ina Vorberg, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Bonn (DZNE), Bonn, DE
Q&A - Networking - closing
Practical info
All indicated times are CET.
Participants will receive more information on how to access the online platform to attend the training a few days before the start of the training.
We will use Hopin as online platform:
- For more information on the use of this platform, check this video.
- Please close other apps to maximize band width and use Chrome, Firefox or Safari (iOS) as browsers.
- Here you can find some additional trouble shooting tips.
Next to the talks of the speakers that will take place on the stage, make sure you don't miss out on the Q&A and interactive discussions with the speakers in the sessions! Recordings will be available and send together with evaluations.
We hope you will take the opportunity to network with the other attendees and with the speakers. Go to networking (open at all time) and meet new people or invite people you want to have a private chat with or a small group chat of up to five persons (click on the 'people' tab and invite whoever you want to meet).