College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.
Plant Cell Environ. 2024 Oct;47(10):3671-3684. doi: 10.1111/pce.14988. Epub 2024 May 29.
A wide variety of membrane-less organelles in cells play an essential role in regulating gene expression, RNA processing, plant growth and development, and helping organisms cope with changing external environments. In biology, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) usually refers to a reversible process in which one or more specific molecular components are spontaneously separated from the bulk environment, producing two distinct liquid phases: concentrated and dilute. LLPS may be a powerful cellular compartmentalisation mechanism whereby biocondensates formed via LLPS when biomolecules exceed critical or saturating concentrations in the environment where they are found will be generated. It has been widely used to explain the formation of membrane-less organelles in organisms. LLPS studies in the context of plant physiology are now widespread, but most of the research is still focused on non-plant systems; the study of phase separation in plants needs to be more thorough. Proteins and nucleic acids are the main components involved in LLPS. This review summarises the specific features and properties of biomolecules undergoing LLPS in plants. We describe in detail these biomolecules' structural characteristics, the mechanism of formation of condensates, and the functions of these condensates. Finally, We summarised the phase separation mechanisms in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation.
细胞中各种各样的无膜细胞器在调节基因表达、RNA 加工、植物生长发育以及帮助生物应对不断变化的外部环境方面发挥着重要作用。在生物学中，液-液相分离（LLPS）通常是指一个或多个特定分子成分从本体环境中自发分离，产生两个不同液相的可逆过程：浓缩相和稀释相。LLPS 可能是一种强大的细胞区室化机制，当生物分子在其所处环境中的浓度超过临界或饱和浓度时，通过 LLPS 形成的生物凝聚物将被产生。它已被广泛用于解释生物体内无膜细胞器的形成。目前，植物生理学中的 LLPS 研究已经很广泛，但大多数研究仍集中在非植物系统上；植物中相分离的研究需要更加深入。蛋白质和核酸是参与 LLPS 的主要成分。本综述总结了植物中经历 LLPS 的生物分子的具体特征和性质。我们详细描述了这些生物分子的结构特征、凝聚物形成的机制以及这些凝聚物的功能。最后，我们总结了植物生长、发育和应激适应中的相分离机制。
