Living cells are spatially organized by compartments that can nucleate, grow, and dissolve. Compartmentalization can emerge by phase separation, leading to the formation of droplets in the cell's nucleo- or cytoplasm, also called biomolecular condensates. Such droplets can organize the biochemistry of the cell by providing specific chemical environments in space and time. These compartments provide transient environments, suggesting the relevance of nonequilibrium physics of droplets as a key to unraveling the underlying physicochemical principles of biological functions in living cells. In this review, we highlight coarse-grained approaches that capture the physics of chemically active emulsions as a model for condensates orchestrating chemical processes. We also discuss the dynamics of single molecules in condensates and the material properties of biological condensates and their relevance for the cell. Finally, we propose wetting, prewetting, and surface phase transitions as a possibility for intracellular surfaces to control biological condensates, spatially organize membranes, and exert mechanical forces.

中文翻译：

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液滴物理和细胞内相分离

活细胞在空间上由可以成核、生长和溶解的隔室组织起来。区室化可以通过相分离出现，导致细胞核或细胞质中形成液滴，也称为生物分子凝聚物。这些液滴可以通过在空间和时间上提供特定的化学环境来组织细胞的生物化学。这些隔室提供了瞬态环境，表明液滴的非平衡物理现象是揭示活细胞生物功能的基本物理化学原理的关键。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了粗粒度的方法，这些方法捕获化学活性乳液的物理原理，作为协调化学过程的冷凝物的模型。我们还讨论了冷凝物中单分子的动力学和生物冷凝物的材料特性及其与细胞的相关性。最后，我们提出润湿、预润湿和表面相变作为细胞内表面控制生物凝聚物、空间组织膜和施加机械力的可能性。