生物大分子相分离在疾病中的作用

The Role of Biomacromolecule Phase Separation in Diseases

细胞为了维持正常的生理活动进化出膜系统,使各种各样的活动能在特定的空间、时间上高效有序的发生。膜系统参与物质运输、信号传递、能量代谢等过程已被广泛了解,但与无膜区室组装和功能相关的分子细节尚未研究透彻。生物大分子通过相分离在细胞内形成多种无膜区室,如核仁、中心体、应激颗粒等,这些无膜区室被统称为生物分子凝聚体。作为一种细胞生化反应的聚集分离机制,相分离在自然界中普遍存在,并广泛参与信号转导、基因转录调控等多种重要的生理过程。而异常的相分离与许多人类疾病密切相关,如神经退行性疾病、癌症及传染性疾病等。通过介绍相分离形成的细胞结构及功能、相分离发生的机制,进一步阐述相分离在疾病发生发展中的作用。

In order to maintain normal physiological activities,cells have evolved a membrane system,which enables various activities to occur efficiently and in an orderly manner in a specific space and time.The involvement of membrane system in material transport,signal transmission,energy metabolism and other processes has been widely understood,but the molecular details related to the assembly and function of membrane-free compartments have not been thoroughly studied.Biological macromolecules form a variety of membrane-free compartments in cells through phase separation,such as nucleolus,centrosome,and stress particles,which are collectively referred to as biomolecular condensates.As a mechanism of aggregation and separation of cellular biochemical reactions,phase separation is ubiquitous in nature and widely involved in many important physiological processes such as signal transduction and gene transcription regulation.The abnormal phase separation is closely related to many human diseases,such as neurodegenerative diseases,cancer and infectious diseases.By introducing the cellular structure and function of phase separation and its mechanism,this paper will further elaborate the role of phase separation in the occurrence and development of diseases.