Publications by authors named "G R WADSWORTH"
Article Synopsis
- RNAs and RNA-binding proteins can form liquid-like droplets in cells, acting as important centers for various biological functions; when these processes go wrong, it can lead to diseases.
- Most research has focused on proteins rather than the role of RNA in the formation and regulation of these ribonucleoprotein condensates, but recent studies are shifting the focus to RNA-driven phase transitions.
- Future research aims to understand how RNA droplets regulate cellular processes over time and space, possibly leading to new RNA-based therapies.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), or exosomes, play important roles in physiological and pathological cellular communication and have gained substantial traction as biological drug carriers. EVs contain both short and long non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and epigenetic processes. To fully capitalize on the potential of EVs as drug carriers, it is important to study and understand the intricacies of EV function and EV RNA-based communication.
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- This study examines how intracellular RNA aggregates relate to neurological disorders and the role of biomolecular condensates in RNA clustering.
- Researchers discovered that certain repeat RNAs can form nanoscale clusters within protein-nucleic acid condensates, leading to distinct structures where solid and fluid phases coexist.
- The presence of the protein G3BP1 helps prevent unwanted RNA clustering by buffering interactions among similar RNA molecules, underscoring the importance of RNA-binding proteins in regulating RNA phase transitions.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how biomolecular condensates, which are clusters of proteins and nucleic acids, influence the clustering of repeat expanded RNAs linked to neurological disorders, revealing a phenomenon called age-dependent percolation transition.* -
- The research shows that these RNAs form nanoscale clusters within the condensates, leading to structures with a solid RNA-rich core and a fluid RNA-depleted shell, driven by specific RNA sequence features and stability.* -
- Findings emphasize the protective role of RNA-binding proteins like G3BP1, which can prevent excessive RNA clustering within these condensates, suggesting a potential strategy to mitigate aberrant RNA phase transitions in neurological diseases.*
Co-phase separation of RNAs and RNA-binding proteins drives the biogenesis of ribonucleoprotein granules. RNAs can also undergo phase transitions in the absence of proteins. However, the physicochemical driving forces of protein-free, RNA-driven phase transitions remain unclear.
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