Farrag, A.M.A.S., Ota K, Yoshimura H, Takemoto M, Mitarai T, Kamikawa, Abo M, Singh V.P., Cui C, Zhou L, Ishidate F, Fujiwara T, Sato S, Hori Y, Ozawa T, Kikuchi K, Uesugi M

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 147 (2025)

Biomolecular condensates, or so-called membraneless organelles, transition from liquid into more solid-like states over time, contributing to the development of pathological conditions. The present study proposes a simple method using photoactive yellow protein (PYP) and its specific fluorescent covalent ligands to distinguish between the liquid and solid states of protein condensates in live cells. The method, compatible with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), correlates the stiffness of specific protein condensates with their accessibility to PYP ligands, enabling quantitative multicolor monitoring of condensate solidification. We applied this technique to 12 phase-separating proteins and their mutants, finding that TDP-43, particularly its A315T mutant linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, most readily forms solid aggregates. Furthermore, this FACS-compatible strategy enabled the isolation of distinct cell populations based on condensate states, allowing for subsequent proteomic and transcriptomic analyses. Our findings demonstrate that condensate solidification is accompanied by the upregulated expression of extracellular matrix proteins, suggesting a previously unrecognized link between solid aggregate formation and extracellular matrix hardening.