Conformational plasticity of holliday junctions tunes histone H1–mediated liquid–liquid phase separation

Abstract

Liquid–liquid phase separation is often attributed to multivalent electrostatics, yet how DNA dynamics contribute remains unresolved. We show that Holliday junction branch-migration kinetics control histone H1–mediated condensation: H1 accelerates conformational exchange without altering equilibrium, this ion-tunable acceleration defines LLPS-permissive regimes, and faster junction dynamics yield more fluid condensates.