{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T03:09:15Z","timestamp":1788318555438,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774396800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000057","name":"NIGMS","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01 GM122763"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 GM122763"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000057","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R01 GM122763"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 GM122763"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04q48ey07","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000065","name":"NINDS","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["R21 NS107792"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21 NS107792"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000065","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000065","name":"NINDS","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["R01 NS105874"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 NS105874"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000065","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["R21 NS107792"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21 NS107792"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01s5ya894","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R01 NS105874"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 NS105874"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01s5ya894","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000928","name":"Welch Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["Q-2097-20220331"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Q-2097-20220331"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000928","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["Q-2097-20220331"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Q-2097-20220331"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00np6vq88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Neurodegenerative diseases feature diverse pathological protein aggregates, including Lewy bodies in Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) and skein-like filaments in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The physical mechanisms underlying this morphological diversity remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that aggregation of the prion-like domain of hnRNPA1 (A1PrD), implicated in AD and ALS, is driven by solution composition and phase transition dynamics. Utilizing 3D timelapse and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, we show that solution conditions modulate phase separation, gelation, and fibrillation, resulting in distinct structures such as fibril, gel, and starburst morphologies. Homotypic and heterotypic interactions between A1PrD and RNA were observed to shift the balance between pathological and physiological condensates. Importantly, amyloid-rich starbursts displayed prion-like infection capabilities toward amyloid-poor condensates. Our findings highlight how the interplay between solution composition and kinetic balances of liquid-liquid phase separation, gelation, and fibrillation shapes the diverse pathological aggregate morphologies characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom16040492","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T12:05:49Z","timestamp":1775563549000},"page":"492","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Modulation of Biomolecular Aggregate Morphology and Condensate Infectivity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3175-5700","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Josephine C.","family":"Ferreon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kyoung-Jae","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4515-1799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"My Diem","family":"Quan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Phoebe S.","family":"Tsoi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristopher C.","family":"Ferreon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ulas","family":"Coskun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISS, Inc., 1602 Newton Drive, Champaign, IL 61822, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shih-Chu Jeff","family":"Liao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ISS, Inc., 1602 Newton Drive, Champaign, IL 61822, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8538-1732","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Allan Chris M.","family":"Ferreon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"S53","article-title":"The Synucleinopathies: Twenty Years On","volume":"7","author":"Goedert","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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