Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical University Vienna, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schwarzspanierstrasse 17, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.
Bioessays. 2018 Dec;40(12):e1800085. doi: 10.1002/bies.201800085. Epub 2018 Oct 29.
Membranous organelles allow sub-compartmentalization of biological processes. However, additional subcellular structures create dynamic reaction spaces without the need for membranes. Such membrane-less organelles (MLOs) are physiologically relevant and impact development, gene expression regulation, and cellular stress responses. The phenomenon resulting in the formation of MLOs is called liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), and is primarily governed by the interactions of multi-domain proteins or proteins harboring intrinsically disordered regions as well as RNA-binding domains. Although the presence of RNAs affects the formation and dissolution of MLOs, it remains unclear how the properties of RNAs exactly contribute to these effects. Here, the authors review this emerging field, and explore how particular RNA properties can affect LLPS and the behavior of MLOs. It is suggested that post-transcriptional RNA modification systems could be contributors for dynamically modulating the assembly and dissolution of MLOs.
膜细胞器允许生物过程的亚区室化。然而,额外的亚细胞结构在不需要膜的情况下创造了动态的反应空间。这种无膜细胞器 (MLO) 在生理上是相关的,并影响发育、基因表达调控和细胞应激反应。导致 MLO 形成的现象称为液-液相分离 (LLPS),主要由多结构域蛋白或含有固有无序区域以及 RNA 结合结构域的蛋白质的相互作用所控制。尽管 RNA 的存在会影响 MLO 的形成和溶解,但目前尚不清楚 RNA 的性质如何确切影响这些效应。在这里,作者回顾了这个新兴领域,并探讨了特定的 RNA 性质如何影响 LLPS 和 MLO 的行为。有人认为,转录后 RNA 修饰系统可能是动态调节 MLO 组装和溶解的因素。