Larson Adam G, Narlikar Geeta J
Biochemistry. 2018 May 1;57(17):2540-2548. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00401. Epub 2018 Apr 23.
In eukaryotic cells, structures called heterochromatin play critical roles in nuclear processes ranging from gene repression to chromosome segregation. Biochemical and in vivo studies over the past several decades have implied that the diverse functions of heterochromatin rely on the ability of these structures to spread across large regions of the genome, to compact the underlying DNA, and to recruit different types of activities. Recent observations have suggested that heterochromatin may possess liquid droplet-like properties. Here, we discuss how these observations provide a new perspective on the mechanisms for the assembly, regulation, and functions of heterochromatin.
在真核细胞中，称为异染色质的结构在从基因抑制到染色体分离的核过程中发挥着关键作用。过去几十年的生化和体内研究表明，异染色质的多种功能依赖于这些结构在基因组大片区域扩散、压缩其下的DNA以及招募不同类型活性的能力。最近的观察结果表明，异染色质可能具有类似液滴的性质。在这里，我们讨论这些观察结果如何为异染色质的组装、调控和功能机制提供新的视角。
