Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.08.09.232405v1?rss=1 Authors: Saurabh, S., Chong, T. N., Bayas, C., Dahlberg, P. D., Cartwright, H. N., Moerner, W. E., Shapiro, L. Abstract: Maintenance of robust biochemical signaling is essential for oligotrophic bacteria that survive under fluctuating environmental challenges. We report that a polar microdomain in Caulobacter crescentus tunes a critical signaling pathway to nutrient availability using the hydrotrope effect of ATP on an intracellular biomolecular condensate. Sequestration of this signaling pathway within a specialized polar microdomain formed by two interacting membraneless organelles, stimulates the activity of a localized kinase, which is dependent on the phase transition parameters of a disordered protein component of the microdomain. Under low ATP concentrations, phase separation in the microdomain is reinforced, enhancing kinase activity, and thereby conferring control of a critical cell cycle signaling pathway to the physical properties of a unique system of membraneless organelles. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info