scholarly journals Polycomb Cbx2 Condensates Assemble through Phase Separation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roubina Tatavosian ◽  
Samantha Kent ◽  
Kyle Brown ◽  
Tingting Yao ◽  
Huy Nguyen Duc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Condensate Formation ◽  
Development And Differentiation ◽  
Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractPolycomb group (PcG) proteins are master regulators of development and differentiation. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the nucleus of cells and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the PcG condensate formation remain unknown. Here we show that Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein Cbx2, one member of the Cbx family proteins, contains a long stretch of intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Cbx2 undergoes phase separation to form condensates. Cbx2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties and can concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. We demonstrate that the conserved residues within the IDR promote the condensate formation in vitro and in vivo. We further indicate that H3K27me3 has minimal effects on the Cbx2 condensate formation while depletion of core PRC1 subunits facilitates the condensate formation. Thus, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that PcG-bound chromatin is in part organized through phase-separated condensates.

scholarly journals Nuclear condensates of the Polycomb protein chromobox 2 (CBX2) assemble through phase separation

2018 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roubina Tatavosian ◽  
Samantha Kent ◽  
Kyle Brown ◽  
Tingting Yao ◽  
Huy Nguyen Duc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Heterochromatin Formation ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Polycomb Protein ◽  
Condensate Formation

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress master regulators of development and differentiation through organization of chromatin structure. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the cell nucleus, and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing via formation of facultative heterochromatin. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the formation of PcG condensates remain unknown, and their determination could shed light on how these condensates compact chromatin. Using fluorescence live-cell imaging, we observed that the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein chromobox 2 (CBX2), a member of the CBX protein family, undergoes phase separation to form condensates and that the CBX2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the conserved residues of CBX2 within the intrinsically disordered region (IDR), which is the region for compaction of chromatin in vitro, promote the condensate formation both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that the CBX2 condensates concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. Using genetic engineering, we report that trimethylation of Lys-27 at histone H3 (H3K27me3), a marker of heterochromatin formation produced by PRC2, had minimal effects on the CBX2 condensate formation. We further demonstrated that the CBX2 condensate formation does not require CBX2–PRC1 subunits; however, the condensate formation of CBX2–PRC1 subunits depends on CBX2, suggesting a mechanism underlying the assembly of CBX2–PRC1 condensates. In summary, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that phase-separated condensates can organize PcG-bound chromatin.

scholarly journals Concentration and dosage sensitivity of proteins driving liquid-liquid phase separation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazanin Farahi ◽  
Tamas Lazar ◽  
Shoshana J. Wodak ◽  
Peter Tompa ◽  
Rita Pancsa
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Condensate Formation ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
In Cells ◽  
Dosage Sensitivity

AbstractLiquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a molecular process that leads to the formation of membraneless organelles (MLOs), i.e. functionally specialized liquid-like cellular condensates formed by proteins and nucleic acids. Integration of data on LLPS-associated proteins from dedicated databases revealed only modest overlap between them and resulted in a confident set of 89 human LLPS driver proteins. Since LLPS is highly concentration-sensitive, the underlying experiments are often criticized for applying higher-than-physiological protein concentrations. To clarify this issue, we performed a naive comparison of in vitro applied and quantitative proteomics-derived protein concentrations and discuss a number of considerations that rationalize the choice of apparently high in vitro concentrations in most LLPS studies. The validity of in vitro LLPS experiments is further supported by in vivo phase-separation experiments and by the observation that the corresponding genes show a strong propensity for dosage sensitivity. This observation implies that the availability of the respective proteins is tightly regulated in cells to avoid erroneous condensate formation. In all, we propose that although local protein concentrations are practically impossible to determine in cells, proteomics-derived cellular concentrations should rather be considered as lower limits of protein concentrations, than strict upper bounds, to be respected by in vitro experiments.

scholarly journals Integration of Data from Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation Databases Highlights Concentration and Dosage Sensitivity of LLPS Drivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3017
Author(s):  
Nazanin Farahi ◽  
Tamas Lazar ◽  
Shoshana J. Wodak ◽  
Peter Tompa ◽  
Rita Pancsa
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Systematic Difference ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Condensate Formation ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a molecular process that leads to the formation of membraneless organelles, representing functionally specialized liquid-like cellular condensates formed by proteins and nucleic acids. Integrating the data on LLPS-associated proteins from dedicated databases revealed only modest agreement between them and yielded a high-confidence dataset of 89 human LLPS drivers. Analysis of the supporting evidence for our dataset uncovered a systematic and potentially concerning difference between protein concentrations used in a good fraction of the in vitro LLPS experiments, a key parameter that governs the phase behavior, and the proteomics-derived cellular abundance levels of the corresponding proteins. Closer scrutiny of the underlying experimental data enabled us to offer a sound rationale for this systematic difference, which draws on our current understanding of the cellular organization of the proteome and the LLPS process. In support of this rationale, we find that genes coding for our human LLPS drivers tend to be dosage-sensitive, suggesting that their cellular availability is tightly regulated to preserve their functional role in direct or indirect relation to condensate formation. Our analysis offers guideposts for increasing agreement between in vitro and in vivo studies, probing the roles of proteins in LLPS.

scholarly journals Thermodynamic and sequential characteristics of phase separation and droplet formation for an intrinsically disordered region/protein ensemble

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e1008672
Author(s):  
Wen-Ting Chu ◽  
Jin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Sequence Length ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Conventional Behavior ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of some IDPs/IDRs can lead to the formation of the membraneless organelles in vitro and in vivo, which are essential for many biological processes in the cell. Here we select three different IDR segments of chaperon Swc5 and develop a polymeric slab model at the residue-level. By performing the molecular dynamics simulations, LLPS can be observed at low temperatures even without charge interactions and disappear at high temperatures. Both the sequence length and the charge pattern of the Swc5 segments can influence the critical temperature of LLPS. The results suggest that the effects of the electrostatic interactions on the LLPS behaviors can change significantly with the ratios and distributions of the charged residues, especially the sequence charge decoration (SCD) values. In addition, three different forms of swc conformation can be distinguished on the phase diagram, which is different from the conventional behavior of the free IDP/IDR. Both the packed form (the condensed-phase) and the dispersed form (the dilute-phase) of swc chains are found to be coexisted when LLPS occurs. They change to the fully-spread form at high temperatures. These findings will be helpful for the investigation of the IDP/IDR ensemble behaviors as well as the fundamental mechanism of the LLPS process in bio-systems.

scholarly journals Targeting NSD2-mediated SRC-3 liquid–liquid phase separation sensitizes bortezomib treatment in multiple myeloma

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
Jing Guo ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Acquired Drug Resistance ◽  
Bortezomib Treatment ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractDevelopment of chemoresistance is the main reason for failure of clinical management of multiple myeloma (MM), but the genetic and epigenetic aberrations that interact to confer such chemoresistance remains unknown. In the present study, we find that high steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) expression is correlated with relapse/refractory and poor outcomes in MM patients treated with bortezomib (BTZ)-based regimens. Furthermore, in immortalized cell lines, high SRC-3 enhances resistance to proteasome inhibitor (PI)-induced apoptosis. Overexpressed histone methyltransferase NSD2 in patients bearing a t(4;14) translocation or in BTZ-resistant MM cells coordinates elevated SRC-3 by enhancing its liquid–liquid phase separation to supranormally modify histone H3 lysine 36 dimethylation (H3K36me2) modifications on promoters of anti-apoptotic genes. Targeting SRC-3 or interference of its interactions with NSD2 using a newly developed inhibitor, SI-2, sensitizes BTZ treatment and overcomes drug resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings elucidate a previously unrecognized orchestration of SRC-3 and NSD2 in acquired drug resistance of MM and suggest that SI-2 may be efficacious for overcoming drug resistance in MM patients.

scholarly journals G-quadruplex DNA inhibits unwinding activity but promotes liquid–liquid phase separation by the DEAD-box helicase Ded1p

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Gao ◽  
Zhaofeng Gao ◽  
Andrea A. Putnam ◽  
Alicia K. Byrd ◽  
Sarah L. Venus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Dead Box ◽  
G4 Dna ◽  
G Quadruplex ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

G-quadruplex (G4) DNA inhibits RNA unwinding activity but promotes liquid–liquid phase separation of the DEAD-box helicase Ded1p in vitro and in cells. This highlights multifaceted effects of G4DNA on an enzyme with intrinsically disordered domains.

scholarly journals Rotavirus Replication Factories Are Complex Ribonucleoprotein Condensates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Geiger ◽  
Guido Papa ◽  
William E. Arter ◽  
Julia Acker ◽  
Kadi L. Saar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Unique Feature ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Subcellular Organelles ◽  
Selective Enrichment ◽  
Novel Therapeutic ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractRNA viruses induce formation of subcellular organelles that provide microenvironments conducive to their replication. Here we show that replication factories of rotaviruses represent protein-RNA condensates that are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation. We demonstrate that rotavirus proteins NSP5 and NSP2 undergo phase separation in vitro and form RNA-rich condensates in vivo that can be reversibly dissolved by aliphatic diols. During infection, these RNA-protein condensates became less dynamic and impervious to aliphatic diols, indicating a transition from a liquid to solid state. Some aspects of assembly of rotavirus replication factories mirror the formation of cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules, while the selective enrichment of viral transcripts appears to be a unique feature of these condensates. Such complex RNA-protein condensates that underlie replication of RNA viruses represent an attractive target for developing novel therapeutic approaches.

scholarly journals Identifying sequence perturbations to an intrinsically disordered protein that determine its phase-separation behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (21) ◽  
pp. 11421-11431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin S. Schuster ◽  
Gregory L. Dignon ◽  
Wai Shing Tang ◽  
Fleurie M. Kelley ◽  
Aishwarya Kanchi Ranganath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Disordered Proteins ◽  
Sequence Features ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Arginine Residues

Phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) commonly underlies the formation of membraneless organelles, which compartmentalize molecules intracellularly in the absence of a lipid membrane. Identifying the protein sequence features responsible for IDP phase separation is critical for understanding physiological roles and pathological consequences of biomolecular condensation, as well as for harnessing phase separation for applications in bioinspired materials design. To expand our knowledge of sequence determinants of IDP phase separation, we characterized variants of the intrinsically disordered RGG domain from LAF-1, a model protein involved in phase separation and a key component of P granules. Based on a predictive coarse-grained IDP model, we identified a region of the RGG domain that has high contact probability and is highly conserved between species; deletion of this region significantly disrupts phase separation in vitro and in vivo. We determined the effects of charge patterning on phase behavior through sequence shuffling. We designed sequences with significantly increased phase separation propensity by shuffling the wild-type sequence, which contains well-mixed charged residues, to increase charge segregation. This result indicates the natural sequence is under negative selection to moderate this mode of interaction. We measured the contributions of tyrosine and arginine residues to phase separation experimentally through mutagenesis studies and computationally through direct interrogation of different modes of interaction using all-atom simulations. Finally, we show that despite these sequence perturbations, the RGG-derived condensates remain liquid-like. Together, these studies advance our fundamental understanding of key biophysical principles and sequence features important to phase separation.

scholarly journals Pat1 promotes processing body assembly by enhancing the phase separation of the DEAD-box ATPase Dhh1 and RNA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchika Sachdev ◽  
Maria Hondele ◽  
Miriam Linsenmeier ◽  
Pascal Vallotton ◽  
Christopher F. Mugler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Liquid Droplets ◽  
Processing Bodies ◽  
Dead Box ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Processing Body ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractProcessing bodies (PBs) are cytoplasmic mRNP granules that assemble via liquid-liquid phase separation and are implicated in the decay or storage of mRNAs. How PB assembly is regulated in cells remains unclear. We recently identified the ATPase activity of the DEAD-box protein Dhh1 as a key regulator of PB dynamics and demonstrated that Not1, an activator of the Dhh1 ATPase and member of the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex inhibits PB assembly in vivo [Mugler et al., 2016]. Here, we show that the PB component Pat1 antagonizes Not1 and promotes PB assembly via its direct interaction with Dhh1. Intriguingly, in vivo PB dynamics can be recapitulated in vitro, since Pat1 enhances the phase separation of Dhh1 and RNA into liquid droplets, whereas Not1 reverses Pat1-Dhh1-RNA condensation. Overall, our results uncover a function of Pat1 in promoting the multimerization of Dhh1 on mRNA, thereby aiding the assembly of large multivalent mRNP granules that are PBs.

scholarly journals Phase separation of Axin organizes the β-catenin destruction complex

2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junxiu Nong ◽  
Kexin Kang ◽  
Qiaoni Shi ◽  
Xuechen Zhu ◽  
Qinghua Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Glycogen Synthase ◽  
Adenomatous Polyposis ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3Β ◽  
Polyposis Coli ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered Region ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

In Wnt/β-catenin signaling, the β-catenin protein level is deliberately controlled by the assembly of the multiprotein β-catenin destruction complex composed of Axin, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), casein kinase 1α (CK1α), and others. Here we provide compelling evidence that formation of the destruction complex is driven by protein liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of Axin. An intrinsically disordered region in Axin plays an important role in driving its LLPS. Phase-separated Axin provides a scaffold for recruiting GSK3β, CK1α, and β-catenin. APC also undergoes LLPS in vitro and enhances the size and dynamics of Axin phase droplets. The LLPS-driven assembly of the destruction complex facilitates β-catenin phosphorylation by GSK3β and is critical for the regulation of β-catenin protein stability and thus Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

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