Modulation of kinase activity within a bacterial membraneless organelle

Abstract

Biomolecular condensates formed via phase separation enable spatial and temporal organization of enzyme activity. The emergent properties of many condensates have been shown to be responsive to intracellular Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, although the consequences of such mechanisms on enzyme activity are unknown. Here, we show that ATP depletion promotes phase separation in condensates composed of a disordered protein, thereby enhancing the activity of a client kinase enabling robust signaling and maintenance of viability under the stress posed by nutrient scarcity. We propose that a diverse repertoire of condensates can serve as control knobs to tune multivalency and reactivity in response to the metabolic state of bacterial cells. One Sentence SummaryBacterial condensates boost kinase activity under ATP depletion