Droplets of Life

Prof. Vladimir N. Uversky, PhD, DSc, FRSB, FRSC, F.A.I.M.B.E., Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida (USF), is a pioneer in the field of protein intrinsic disorder. He has made a number of groundbreaking contributions in the field of protein folding, misfolding, and intrinsic disorder. He obtained his academic degrees from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Ph.D., in 1991) and from the Institute of Experimental and Theoretical Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences (D.Sc., in 1998). He spent his early career working mostly on protein folding at the Institute of Protein Research and the Institute for Biological Instrumentation (Russia). In 1998, moved to the University of California Santa Cruz. In 2004, joined the Indiana University−Purdue University Indianapolis as a Senior Research Professor. Since 2010, Professor Uversky is with USF, where he works on various aspects of protein intrinsic disorder phenomenon and on analysis of protein folding and misfolding processes. Prof. Uversky has authored over 1250 scientific publications and edited several books and book series on protein structure, function, folding, misfolding, and intrinsic disorder. He is also serving as an editor in a number of scientific journals. He was a co-founder of the Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Subgroup at the Biophysical Society and the Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Gordon Research Conference. Prof. Uversky collaborated with more than 12,500 colleagues from more than 2,750 research organizations in 89 countries/territories.

Part I: Introduction to Membrane-less Organelles and Biomolecular Condensates
1. Biophysical Principles of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation
2. Major Structural Features of MLOs
3. Multiphase Complex Droplets
4. Biogenesis of MLOs and Protein Condensates
5. Techniques for the Detection and Analysis of LLPS and MLOs
6. LLPS and Origin of Life

Part II: Biology of Membrane-Less Organelles
1. Known Types of Membrane-Less Organelles and Biomolecular Condensates
2. Active Regulation Mechanisms
3. Control of Metabolic Pathways
4. Interactions and Interplay with Classical Membrane-Bound Organelles
5. LLPS and Chromatin Organization
6. MLOs and Cellular Fitness
7. Cellular Stress
8. Phase Separation in Bacteria
9. Phase Separation and Virus Replication Compartments

Part III: Pathological roles of LLPS
1. Neurodegenerative Diseases
2. Cancer
3. Cardiovascular Diseases
4. Infectious Diseases