Abstract

Cells organize many of their biochemical reactions in non-membrane compartments. Recent evidence has shown that many of these compartments are liquids that form by phase separation from the cytoplasm. Here we discuss the basic physical concepts necessary to understand the consequences of liquid-like states for biological functions.

Keywords

BiologyCytoplasmSeparation (statistics)Phase (matter)Liquid phaseCell biologyComputer scienceChemistryPhysics

Affiliated Institutions

Related Publications

Lipid Traffic in Animal Cells

Gerrit van Meer

Cells organize many of their biochemical reactions in non-membrane compartments. Recent evidence has shown that many of these compartments are liquids that form by phase separat...

1989 Annual Review of Cell Biology 466 citations

Publication Info

Year
2014
Type
review
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
39-58
Citations
3083
Access
Closed

External Links

View on DOI.org

Social Impact

Altmetric
PlumX Metrics

Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions

Citation Metrics

3083
OpenAlex

Cite This

Anthony A. Hyman, Christoph A. Weber, Frank Jülicher (2014). Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Biology. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology , 30 (1) , 39-58. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100913-013325

Identifiers

DOI
10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100913-013325