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.