How Hierarchical Interactions Make Membraneless Organelles Tick Like Clockwork

Jeremy D. Schmit, Marina Feric, Miroslav Dundr

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biomolecular condensates appear throughout the cell, serving many different biochemical functions. We argue that condensate functionality is optimized when the interactions driving condensation vary widely in affinity. Strong interactions provide structural specificity needed to encode functional properties but carry the risk of kinetic arrest, while weak interactions allow the system to remain dynamic but do not restrict the conformational ensemble enough to sustain specific functional features. To support our opinion, we describe illustrative examples of the interplay of strong and weak interactions that are found in the nucleolus, SPOP/DAXX condensates, polySUMO/polySIM condensates, chromatin, and stress granules. The common feature of these systems is a hierarchical assembly motif in which weak, transient interactions condense structurally defined functional units.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)525-534
Number of pages10
JournalTrends in Biochemical Sciences
Volume46
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

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