Heterochromatin is a highly condensed chromatin structure observed in the nuclei of eukaryotic cells. It plays a pivotal role in repressing undesired gene expression and establishing functional chromosomal domains, including centromeres and telomeres. Heterochromatin is characterized by specific histone modifications and the formation of higher-order chromatin structures mediated by proteins, such as HP1 and Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs), which recognize the specific histone modifications. Recent studies have identified the involvement of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in heterochromatin, leading to the proposal of a new model in which liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) contributes to heterochromatin formation and function. This emerging model not only broadens our understanding of heterochromatin's molecular mechanisms but also provides insights into its dynamic regulation depending on cellular context. Such advancements pave the way for exploring heterochromatin's role in genome organization and stability, as well as its implications in development and disease.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2025.130790 | DOI Listing |
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A globular protein exhibits rare phase behavior and forms chemically regulated orthogonal condensates in cells.
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Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA; Department of Physics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA. Electronic address:
Recent years have seen remarkable gains in the accuracy of atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and expansion in the types of calculated properties that can be directly compared with experimental measurements. These advances occurred due to the use of IDP-tested force fields and the porting of MD simulations to GPUs and other computational technologies. All-atom MD simulations are now explaining the sequence-dependent dynamics of IDPs; elucidating the mechanisms of their binding to other proteins, nucleic acids, and membranes; revealing the modes of drug action on them; and characterizing their phase separation.
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State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, SJTU-Yale Joint Center for Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China.
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