TY - JOUR
T1 - Phase transitions and size scaling of membrane-less organelles
AU - Brangwynne, Clifford P.
PY - 2013/12/23
Y1 - 2013/12/23
N2 - The coordinated growth of cells and their organelles is a fundamental and poorly understood problem, with implications for processes ranging from embryonic development to oncogenesis. Recent experiments have shed light on the cell size-dependent assembly of membrane-less cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic structures, including ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and other intracellular bodies. Many of these structures behave as condensed liquid-like phases of the cytoplasm/nucleoplasm. The phase transitions that appear to govern their assembly exhibit an intrinsic dependence on cell size, and may explain the size scaling reported for a number of structures. This size scaling could, in turn, play a role in cell growth and size control.
AB - The coordinated growth of cells and their organelles is a fundamental and poorly understood problem, with implications for processes ranging from embryonic development to oncogenesis. Recent experiments have shed light on the cell size-dependent assembly of membrane-less cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic structures, including ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and other intracellular bodies. Many of these structures behave as condensed liquid-like phases of the cytoplasm/nucleoplasm. The phase transitions that appear to govern their assembly exhibit an intrinsic dependence on cell size, and may explain the size scaling reported for a number of structures. This size scaling could, in turn, play a role in cell growth and size control.
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U2 - 10.1083/jcb.201308087
DO - 10.1083/jcb.201308087
M3 - Article
C2 - 24368804
AN - SCOPUS:84893364894
SN - 0021-9525
VL - 203
SP - 875
EP - 881
JO - Journal of Cell Biology
JF - Journal of Cell Biology
IS - 6
ER -