Question

What are coacervates?

Answer 1

Hint:In the year 2009 it was observed that coacervates were responsible for the production of some membrane-less organelles. It forms through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS).

Complete answer:
Coacervates form an aqueous phase that helps in the formation of macromolecules, such as some synthetic polymers, some proteins, and nucleic acids. It is a sort of phase which also follows thermodynamic equilibrium. These structures came into notice because they don't need a membrane and also form spontaneously. It was coined in 1929 by a dutch chemist whose name was Hendrik G. Bungenberg de Jong and Hugo R. Kruyt. They were studying lyophilic colloidal dispersion. They observed Coacervates cluster like bees in a swarm. The Coacervates were membrane-less organelles (MLO), since, these organelles are not membrane-bound they are not separated by a lipid bilayer and they are composed of proteins and nucleic acid. These organelles can be present in the cytoplasm or the nucleus.

Apart from having a unique structure these organelles also have an important function. MLO( membrane-less organelles) help in gene expression. They are also involved in signal transduction. And most importantly they can store and protect the cellular material of the cell in distress. Now, many scientists believe that these kinds of organelles are formed due to liquid-liquid phase separation.

Note: Proteins that are involved in the production of coacervates contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDR). These regions are part of a polypeptide chain that can obtain multiple secondary structures and random coiling. These regions of proteins provide interactions responsible for LLPS and finally high ordered MLO are formed.