Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Why does biopolymer condensation matter?

Biomolecular condensation that occurs through phase separation is an emerging topic in cell biology. Ongoing research will continue to provide novel mechanistic insights into the involvement of biological condensates in a variety of normal and pathological cellular processes. In particular, a deeper understanding of the physical basis for biomolecular phase separation and of the properties of biopolymer condensates should emerge in the near future. Accordingly, connections between these processes and the organization of matter in living organisms will undergo fresh scrutiny.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Brangwynne, C. P. et al. Germline P granules are liquid droplets that localize by controlled dissolution/condensation. Science 324, 1729–1732 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Li, P. et al. Phase transitions in the assembly of multivalent signalling proteins. Nature 483, 336–340 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Banani, S. F., Lee, H. O., Hyman, A. A. & Rosen, M. K. Biomolecular condensates: organizers of cellular biochemistry. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 18, 285–298 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Shin, Y. & Brangwynne, C. P. Liquid phase condensation in cell physiology and disease. Science 357, eaaf4382 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bergeron-Sandoval, L. P., Safaee, N. & Michnick, S. W. Mechanisms and consequences of macromolecular phase separation. Cell 165, 1067–1079 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen W. Michnick.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Related links

Michnick lab website: http://www.michnicklab.org/publications

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Michnick, S.W., Bergeron-Sandoval, LP. Why does biopolymer condensation matter?. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 19, 613–614 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-018-0023-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-018-0023-0

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing