The Biophysical World Inside a Jam-Packed Cell

6 days ago

Cells are highly crowded and dynamic environments, contrary to the calm and orderly image often depicted in textbooks.
Recent advances in imaging and genetic engineering have allowed scientists to observe and measure crowding inside living cells for the first time.
Cells actively regulate their internal crowdedness to optimize biochemical reactions, with crowding being a fundamental aspect of cellular function.
The cytoplasm's crowdedness affects molecular interactions, with too little or too much crowding disrupting vital cellular processes.
Liam Holt's research introduced genetically encoded multimeric nanoparticles (GEMs) to study crowding, revealing cells adjust crowding based on nutrient availability via mTORC1.
G.W. Gant Luxton's work in multicellular organisms like C. elegans showed even higher crowding levels, likened to 'strawberry jam,' challenging previous assumptions.
Cells use mechanisms like scaffolding proteins (e.g., ANC-1) to manage crowding, indicating diverse strategies across different cell types.
Research is expanding into organoids and diseased cells (e.g., cancer) to explore how crowding changes in different contexts, opening a new subfield in cell biophysics.

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