Press Releases

Press release (link) ... about membrane shape changes induced by condensate droplets. Article: Mangiarotti et al. Nature Commun 16, 2756 (2025) Lipid packing and cholesterol content regulate membrane wetting and remodeling by biomolecular condensates. Check the Bluesky thread for more images and explanations. We explored how biomolecular condensates "decide" which membrane they like to stick to. It turns out that cholesterol and membrane packing—not just the membrane phase—determines this affinity. Our study shows that tightly packed membranes repel condensates, while loosely packed ones attract them. We also see that condensates don’t just bind-they also make membranes tubulate. We knew that…

Press release (link) ... about membrane shape changes induced by condensate droplets. Article: Zhao et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 121, e2321579121 (2024) Membrane nanotubes transform into double-membrane sheets at condensate droplets

Press release (link) ... about light-induced interactions between artificial cells and condensate droplets. Article: Mangiarotti et al. Adv. Sci. 11, 2309864 (2024) Computer generated image: source

Press release (link) ... about the mutual molding of artificial cells and condensate droplets. Article: Mangiarotti et al. Nature Commun. 14, 2809 (2023) Wetting and complex remodeling of membranes by biomolecular condensates

Press release (link) ... about a novel and generic mechanism for the division of artificial cells into two daughter cells. Article: Steinkühler et al. Nature Commun. 11, 905 (2020) ImageJ=1.52b unit=inch Controlled division of cell-sized vesicles by low densities of membrane-bound proteins.

Press release (link) The Giant Vesicle Book edited by Rumiana Dimova and Carlos Marques (CRC Press) DOI:10.1201/9781315152516 Giant vesicles are widely used as a model membrane system, both for basic biological systems and for their promising applications in the development of smart materials and cell mimetics. The Giant Vesicle Book is meant to be a road companion, a trusted guide for those making their first steps in this field as well as a source of information required by experts. A giant THANK YOU to all contributors and to Carlos Marques for the quite enjoyable co-editorship! Table of content The Editors Acknowledgements Contributors Preface Part…