Nonlinear diffusion and compressive rims in source-driven biopolymer condensates

Abstract

Many subcellular condensates continuously produce biopolymers. Coupling Flory-Huggins thermodynamics to two-fluid viscoelasticity, we probe the diffusion of such source-driven polymeric droplets, and identify a universal structural compressive rim at their diffusion front. Integrating analytical scaling laws, numerical simulations, and experimental data, we show that this framework captures key structural and dynamic characteristics of the nucleolus, demonstrating the role of polymer diffusion in non-equilibrium biological transport.

5 pages, 4 figures + Supplemental Materials