Student Profile: Fleurie Kelley

Research Summary

Liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins has recently been shown to play an important role in cellular organization. Phase separation gives rise to distinct compartments, called membraneless organelles that are essential to cellular processes such as autophagy and gene expression. We are motivated to understand the mechanisms behind phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and the assembly of membraneless organelles with hierarchical structures, to derive new biological materials and enable biotechnology applications through compartmentalization.

One example of phase-separating IDPs is the RGG domain within LAF-1, an important protein found in C. Elegans P granules, which are homologous to the germ granules found in other species including humans. Using the RGG domain as a starting point, our lab sought to design protein droplets with hierarchical structures with fusion proteins that are amphiphilic, with a non-phase-separating domain fused to a phase-separating domain. Our goal is to characterize the mechanisms through which hierarchical structures form in membraneless organelles, and to leverage the unique properties of IDPs and membraneless organelles to maximize bioproduction through enzyme compartmentalization.