Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2023 Aug;81:102610. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102610. Epub 2023 Jun 15.
Structural biology has traditionally focused on the structures of proteins, short nucleic acids, small molecules, and their complexes. However, it is now widely recognized that the 3D organization of chromosomes should also be included in this list, despite significant differences in scale and complexity of organization. Here we highlight some notable similarities between the folding processes that shape proteins and chromosomes. Both biomolecules are folded by two types of processes: the affinity-mediated interactions, and by active (ATP-dependent) processes. Both chromosome and proteins in vivo can have partially unstructured and non-equilibrium ensembles with yet to be understood functional roles. By analyzing these biological systems in parallel, we can uncover universal principles of biomolecular organization that transcend specific biopolymers.
结构生物学传统上专注于蛋白质、短核酸、小分子及其复合物的结构。然而，尽管在规模和组织复杂性方面存在显著差异，但现在已广泛认识到染色体的 3D 组织也应包括在这一名单中。在这里，我们强调了塑造蛋白质和染色体的折叠过程之间的一些显著相似之处。这两种生物分子都是通过两种折叠过程形成的：亲和介导的相互作用和主动（ATP 依赖）过程。体内的染色体和蛋白质都可以具有部分无结构和非平衡的集合体，其功能作用尚未被理解。通过并行分析这些生物系统，我们可以揭示超越特定生物聚合物的生物分子组织的普遍原则。
