The Roles of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Cellular Function and Neurodegeneration
Jio Yoon and Zachary Gao Sun
03/09/2026
Liquid-Liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a biological process in which biomolecules like proteins and RNA separate into distinct liquid phases, forming membraneless organelles called biomolecular condensates. LLPS is found to be involved in many cellular organization processes under physiological conditions. However, if LLPS is dysregulated, it can lead to harmful solid aggregates that contribute to disease formation, such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, ALS, cancer, and immune disorders. The neurodegenerative diseases are driven by complex interactions between gene, environmental, and cellular stress factors, which collectively contribute to protein aggregations. This paper offers a brief review on the importance of LLPS, explores the examples of the diseases caused by LLPS, and suggests several potential ways to disrupt these pathological protein aggregates that may alleviate neurodegenerative disease symptoms