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Membraneless organelles

Phasing in and out

Nature Chemistry volume 8, pages 528–530 (2016)Cite this article

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The low-complexity-protein, liquid phases of membraneless organelles have now been established to selectively partition biomolecules. The specialized microenvironment that they provide differs chemically from the surrounding medium and enables specific nucleic-acid remodelling reactions.

Eukaryotic cells contain a series of membrane-encapsulated organelles, which provide an interdependent network of discrete microenvironments with diverse physicochemical properties. The interior of each of these organelles is precisely regulated and tailored to facilitate a series of specific biochemical reactions. In addition, cells harbour various membraneless organelles, including nucleoli and Cajal bodies, as well as diverse ribonucleoprotein particle granules, such as stress granules and processing bodies1. These membraneless compartments resemble liquid droplets in a separate phase to the surrounding medium, and exhibit dynamic behaviour, such as rapid biogenesis and disassembly, in response to environmental cues1.

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Figure 1: Ddx4N1 liquid droplets selectively partition biomolecules and can alter nucleic acid structure.

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  1. James Shorter is in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA,

    James Shorter

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  1. James Shorter
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Correspondence to James Shorter.

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Shorter, J. Phasing in and out. Nature Chem 8, 528–530 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2534

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