Biomolecular condensates can function as inherent catalysts

We report the discovery that chemical reactions such as ATP hydrolysis can be catalyzed by condensates formed by intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which themselves lack any intrinsic ability to function as enzymes. This inherent catalytic feature of condensates derives from the electrochemical environments and the electric fields at interfaces that are direct consequences of phase separation. The condensates we studied were capable of catalyzing diverse hydrolysis reactions, including hydrolysis and radical-dependent breakdown of ATP whereby ATP fully decomposes to adenine and multiple carbohydrates. This distinguishes condensates from naturally occurring ATPases, which can only catalyze the dephosphorylation of ATP. Interphase and interfacial properties of condensates can be tuned via sequence design, thus enabling control over catalysis through sequence-dependent electrochemical features of condensates. Incorporation of hydrolase-like synthetic condensates into live cells enables activation of transcriptional circuits that depend on products of hydrolysis reactions. Inherent catalytic functions of condensates, which are emergent consequences of phase separation, are likely to affect metabolic regulation in cells.