Theory of Wetting Dynamics with Surface Binding
arxiv(2024)
摘要
Biomolecules, such as proteins and RNAs, can phase separate in the cytoplasm
of cells to form biological condensates. Such condensates are liquid-like
droplets that can wet biological surfaces such as membranes. Many molecules
that can participate in phase separation can also reversibly bind to membrane
surfaces. When a droplet wets such a surface, these molecules can diffuse both
inside the droplet or in the bound state on the surface. How the interplay
between surface binding and surface diffusion affects the wetting kinetics is
not well understood. Here, we derive the governing equations using
non-equilibrium thermodynamics by relating the diffusive fluxes and forces at
the surface coupled to the bulk. We use our theory to study the spreading
kinetics in the presence of surface binding and find that binding speeds up
wetting by nucleating a droplet inside the surface. Our results are relevant
both to artificial systems and to condensates in cells. They suggest that the
wetting of droplets in living cells could be regulated by two-dimensional
droplets in the surface-bound layer changing the binding affinity to biological
surfaces.
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