REVIEW: Biomolecular Condensates in the Regulation of Transcription and Chromatin Architecture

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Arseniy V. Selivanovskiy^1,2,3, Sergey V. Razin^1,3 and Sergei V. Ulianov^1,3,a*

¹Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia

²Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia

³Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: August 26, 2025; Revised: October 1, 2025; Accepted: October 3, 2025

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Recent studies have highlighted the pivotal role of biomolecular condensates (liquid-like complexes) in gene control. Biomolecular condensates create a specific microenvironment around enhancers and gene promoters, which can activate transcription, repress it, or maintain at an appropriate level. They can also influence the chromatin structure and are important participants in the enhancer–promoter communication. Finally, biomolecular condensates represent promising therapeutic targets, as their dysregulation results in a broad spectrum of pathologies. The review present most recent, as well as fundamental studies establishing the role of condensates in the regulation of gene expression and enhancer–promoter communication.

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KEY WORDS: phase separation, transcriptional condensates, RNA polymerase II, transcription factors, loop extrusion, multivalent interactions, enhancers, promoters, chromatin

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297925602746

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