Membraneless organelles (MLOs), also known as „biomolecular condensates,“ are formed by the biological process of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). MLOs are highly dynamic bodies containing proteins and nucleic acids.
Membraneless organelles (MLOs), also known as „biomolecular condensates,“ are formed by the biological process of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). MLOs are highly dynamic bodies containing proteins and nucleic acids.
While the role of proteins in LLPS has been extensively investigated, there is a growing interest in the scientific community to understand the role of RNAs—the nucleic acid responsible for innumerable biological functions including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes, and ultimately proteins—in phase separation.
Recent studies have revealed that MLOs are rich in RNAs that are poorly extracted by conventional methods but can be efficiently recovered using improved methods like needle shearing and heating, a property known as semi-extractability. These semi-extractable RNAs can be important biomarkers and drug targets in disease diagnosis and treatment. However, very few studies have succeeded in identifying and characterizing these RNAs.
To address this gap, Dr. Chao Zeng, assistant professor at Waseda University, in collaboration with Dr. Michiaki Hamada from Waseda University, Dr. Takeshi Chujo from Kumamoto University, and Dr. Tetsuro Hirose from Osaka University, have developed a novel bioinformatic pipeline to define semi-extractable RNAs across human cell lines.
