Mechanism (biology)

Quantum mechanics

Function (biology)

Cell biology

Phase (matter)

Chemical physics

Ecology

Biology

Materials science

Phase transition

Operating system

Computer science

Active matter

Statistical physics

Evolutionary biology

Intracellular

Thermodynamics

Physics

Nanotechnology

Work (physics)

Biological system

Living systems

Biomolecule

Space (punctuation)

Living matter

Reports on Progress in Physics

Exciting recent developments suggest that phase transitions represent an important and ubiquitous mechanism underlying intracellular organization. We describe key experimental findings in this area of study, as well as the application of classical theoretical approaches for quantitatively understanding these data. We also discuss the way in which equilibrium thermodynamic driving forces may interface with the fundamentally out-of-equilibrium nature of living cells. In particular, time and/or space-dependent concentration profiles may modulate the phase behavior of biomolecules in living cells. We suggest future directions for both theoretical and experimental work that will shed light on the way in which biological activity modulates the assembly, properties, and function of viscoelastic states of living matter.

Physical principles of intracellular organization via active and passive phase transitions