Figure 5: The scaffold composition that optimizes client recruitment depends on the client valence.

(a) The transfer matrix theory (lines) captures the shift in the experimental (dots) partition coefficient peak as the client valence increases. The high affinity of trivalent clients is more sensitive to both the appearance of defects in the droplet and the presence of free scaffold in the bulk. Experimental data from.⁶ (b) Concentration of unbound SUMO modules in the dense and dilute phases. Excess scaffolds, and associated defect sites, are initially bound in the droplet as shown by the blue curve (given by ρ_g times the droplet poly-SUMO concentration). However, above 70 μM additional poly-SUMO accumulates primarily in the bulk phase, which has a defect density of 10c_U (red). The scaling factor applied to the droplet curve is approximately equal to the ~ 0.01 volume fraction of the droplets. Therefore, these curves approximately represent the number of defects sites in each phase.