Do condensates perform functions beyond molecular binding?
In plain words
Many proteins form droplets in cells, but whether the droplet itself does a job, or forms only because the proteins happen to be sticky, is often unknown. Separating the two requires changing droplet formation without changing the proteins' other properties.
Precise statement
For a given condensate (nucleolus, stress granules, transcriptional condensates), determine whether phase separation itself, as distinct from the underlying molecular binding, changes a measurable cellular output (reaction rate, transcriptional burst frequency, stress survival), using perturbations that shift $c_{sat}$ while preserving binding affinities.
What would settle it
Separation-of-function mutants that abolish or induce condensation at fixed binding affinity, with measured effects on the cellular output.
Status in the literature
Unverified note
Functional claims for transcriptional condensates remain disputed as of 2026.