Liquid–liquid phase separation rescues the conformational stability of a DNA hairpin from pressure–stress

Abstract

We used single-molecule FRET experiments to monitor the conformational equilibrium of a DNA hairpin under pressure-stress in the presence of an aqueous two-phase system mimicking intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Our data demonstrate the important role of LLPS with its immanent strong excluded volume effect in rescuing biological function under harsh environmental conditions.