Liquid–liquid phase separation drives cellular function and dysfunction in cancer

S Mehta, J Zhang - Nature Reviews Cancer, 2022 - nature.com
S Mehta, J Zhang
Nature Reviews Cancer, 2022nature.com
Cancer is a disease of uncontrollably reproducing cells. It is governed by biochemical
pathways that have escaped the regulatory bounds of normal homeostatic balance. This
balance is maintained through precise spatiotemporal regulation of these pathways. The
formation of biomolecular condensates via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) has
recently emerged as a widespread mechanism underlying the spatiotemporal coordination
of biological activities in cells. Biomolecular condensates are widely observed to directly …
Abstract
Cancer is a disease of uncontrollably reproducing cells. It is governed by biochemical pathways that have escaped the regulatory bounds of normal homeostatic balance. This balance is maintained through precise spatiotemporal regulation of these pathways. The formation of biomolecular condensates via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) has recently emerged as a widespread mechanism underlying the spatiotemporal coordination of biological activities in cells. Biomolecular condensates are widely observed to directly regulate key cellular processes involved in cancer cell pathology, and the dysregulation of LLPS is increasingly implicated as a previously hidden driver of oncogenic activity. In this Perspective, we discuss how LLPS shapes the biochemical landscape of cancer cells.
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