The multiscale and multiphase organization of the transcriptome. Issue 3 (11th December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Adekunle, Danielle A.; Hubstenberger, Arnaud
• Editors: Nott, Tim; Baldwin, Andrew
• Is Part Of: Emerging topics in life sciences. Volume 4:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 265
• Page End: 280
• Publication Date: 2020-12-11
• Subjects: post-transcriptional regulation -- ribonucleoproteins -- RNA condensates -- RNA phase separation and transition -- stress granules -- transcriptomics; Life sciences -- Periodicals; 570.5
• DOI: 10.1042/ETLS20190187
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2397-8554

Abstract

Abstract : Gene expression must be co-ordinated to cellular activity. From transcription to decay, the expression of millions of RNA molecules is highly synchronized. RNAs are covered by proteins that regulate every aspect of their cellular life: expression, storage, translational status, localization, and decay. Many RNAs and their associated regulatory proteins can coassemble to condense into liquid droplets, viscoelastic hydrogels, freeze into disorganized glass-like aggregates, or harden into quasi-crystalline solids. Phase separations provide a framework for transcriptome organization where the single functional unit is no longer a transcript but instead an RNA regulon. Here, we will analyze the interaction networks that underlie RNA super-assemblies, assess the complex multiscale, multiphase architecture of the transcriptome, and explore how the biophysical state of an RNA molecule can define its fate. Phase separations are emerging as critical routes for the epitranscriptomic control of gene expression.