Biomolecular condensates: organizers of cellular biochemistry
Salman F. Banani, Hyun O. Lee, Anthony A. Hyman, Michael K. Rosen
Summary
This review synthesizes how cells organize biochemistry into membraneless compartments termed biomolecular condensates, which form largely through liquid-liquid phase separation driven by multivalent macromolecular interactions. It describes the physical principles of condensate formation, their compositions, and how they concentrate or sequester molecules to regulate cellular processes. The authors discuss functional roles and the emerging links between aberrant condensate behavior and disease.
Key findings
- Frames membraneless organelles as biomolecular condensates assembled via phase separation.
- Identifies multivalent protein and nucleic-acid interactions as drivers of condensate formation.
- Connects condensate composition and dynamics to regulation of cellular biochemistry and disease.
Subjects & keywords
Cite this paper
Salman F. Banani, Hyun O. Lee, Anthony A. Hyman, & Michael K. Rosen (2017). Biomolecular condensates: organizers of cellular biochemistry. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2017.7
@article{banani2017biomolecular,
author = {Salman F. Banani and Hyun O. Lee and Anthony A. Hyman and Michael K. Rosen},
title = {Biomolecular condensates: organizers of cellular biochemistry},
journal = {Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1038/nrm.2017.7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2017.7}
}