Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation in Chromatin
Top Cited Papers
- 14 June 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
- Vol. 14 (2), a040683
- https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a040683
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, protein and RNA factors involved in genome activities like transcription, RNA processing, DNA replication, and repair accumulate in self-organizing membraneless chromatin subcompartments. These structures contribute to efficiently conduct chromatin-mediated reactions and to establish specific cellular programs. However, the underlying mechanisms for their formation are only partly understood. Recent studies invoke liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and RNAs in the establishment of chromatin activity patterns. At the same time, the folding of chromatin in the nucleus can drive genome partitioning into spatially distinct domains. Here, the interplay between chromatin organization, chromatin binding, and LLPS is discussed by comparing and contrasting three prototypical chromatin subcompartments: the nucleolus, clusters of active RNA polymerase II, and pericentric heterochromatin domains. It is discussed how the different ways of chromatin compartmentalization are linked to transcription regulation, the targeting of soluble factors to certain parts of the genome, and to disease-causing genetic aberrations.This publication has 187 references indexed in Scilit:
- High-Resolution Mapping of H1 Linker Histone Variants in Embryonic Stem CellsPLoS Genetics, 2013
- Nucleolar activity in neurodegenerative diseases: a missing piece of the puzzle?Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2012
- Dynamics and Memory of Heterochromatin in Living CellsCell, 2012
- Nuclear architecture by RNACurrent Opinion in Genetics & Development, 2012
- Mapping and analysis of chromatin state dynamics in nine human cell typesNature, 2011
- Systematic Protein Location Mapping Reveals Five Principal Chromatin Types in Drosophila CellsCell, 2010
- Dissecting the binding mechanism of the linker histone in live cells: an integrated FRAP analysisThe EMBO Journal, 2010
- Modulation of RNA Polymerase Assembly Dynamics in Transcriptional RegulationMolecular Cell, 2008
- High-Resolution Profiling of Histone Methylations in the Human GenomeCell, 2007
- Nucleolar proteome dynamicsNature, 2005