Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in DNA and chromatin systems from the perspective of colloid physical chemistry.

Autor: Nordenskiöld L; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore. Electronic address: larsnor@ntu.edu.sg., Shi X; Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518172, China. Electronic address: xyshi@smbu.edu.cn., Korolev N; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore., Zhao L; Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518172, China., Zhai Z; Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518172, China., Lindman B; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Physical Chemistry, University of Lund, P.O. Box 124, S-221 00 Lund, Sweden; Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: bjorn.lindman@fkem1.lu.se.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Advances in colloid and interface science [Adv Colloid Interface Sci] 2024 Apr; Vol. 326, pp. 103133. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 14.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2024.103133
Abstrakt: DNA is a highly charged polyelectrolyte and is prone to associative phase separation driven by the presence of multivalent cations, charged surfactants, proteins, polymers and colloids. The process of DNA phase separation induced by positively charged species is often called DNA condensation. Generally, it refers to either intramolecular DNA compaction (coil-globule transition) or intermolecular DNA aggregation with macroscopic phase separation, but the formation of a DNA liquid crystalline system is also displayed. This has traditionally been described by polyelectrolyte theory and qualitative (Flory-Huggins-based) polymer theory approaches. DNA in the cell nucleus is packed into chromatin wound around the histone octamer (a protein complex comprising two copies each of the four histone proteins H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) to form nucleosomes separated by linker DNA. During the last decade, the phenomenon of the formation of biomolecular condensates (dynamic droplets) by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has emerged as a generally important mechanism for the formation of membraneless organelles from proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes. DNA and chromatin droplet formation through LLPS has recently received much attention by in vitro as well as in vivo studies that established the importance of this for compartmentalisation in the cell nucleus. Here, we review DNA and chromatin LLPS from a general colloid physical chemistry perspective. We start with a general discussion of colloidal phase separation in aqueous solutions and review the original (pre-LLPS era) work on DNA (macroscopic) phase separation for simpler systems with DNA in the presence of multivalent cations and well-defined surfactants and colloids. Following that, we discuss and illustrate the similarities of such macroscopic phase separation with the general behaviour of LLPS droplet formation by associative phase separation for DNA-protein systems, including chromatin; we also note cases of segregative association. The review ends with a discussion of chromatin LLPS in vivo and its physiological significance.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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