REVIEW: Biomolecular Condensates: Structure, Functions, Methods of Research

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Natalia A. Gorsheneva^1,a, Julia V. Sopova^1,b, Vladimir V. Azarov^1,c, Anastasia V. Grizel^2,d*, and Aleksandr A. Rubel^1,e*

¹St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia

²School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332 Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Received September 29, 2023; Revised October 12, 2023; Accepted October 16, 2023

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The term “biomolecular condensates” is used to describe membraneless compartments in eukaryotic cells, accumulating proteins and nucleic acids. Biomolecular condensates are formed as a result of liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). Often, they demonstrate properties of liquid-like droplets or gel-like aggregates; however, some of them may appear to have a more complex structure and high-order organization. Membraneless microcompartments are involved in diverse processes both in cytoplasm and in nucleus, among them ribosome biogenesis, regulation of gene expression, cell signaling, and stress response. Condensates properties and structure could be highly dynamic and are affected by various internal and external factors, e.g., concentration and interactions of components, solution temperature, pH, osmolarity, etc. In this review, we discuss variety of biomolecular condensates and their functions in live cells, describe their structure variants, highlight domain and primary sequence organization of the constituent proteins and nucleic acids. Finally, we describe current advances in methods that characterize structure, properties, morphology, and dynamics of biomolecular condensates in vitro and in vivo.

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KEY WORDS: biomolecular condensates, LLPS, membraneless compartments, intrinsically disordered regions

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297924140116

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