Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation of Biomacromolecules and Its Roles in Metabolic Diseases

Zhihao Chen; Ying Huai; Wenjing Mao; Xuehao Wang; Kang Ru; Airong Qian; Hong Yang

doi:10.3390/cells11193023

Cells (Sep 2022)

Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation of Biomacromolecules and Its Roles in Metabolic Diseases

Zhihao Chen,
Ying Huai,
Wenjing Mao,
Xuehao Wang,
Kang Ru,
Airong Qian,
Hong Yang

Affiliations

Zhihao Chen: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China
Ying Huai: Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Wenjing Mao: Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Xuehao Wang: Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Kang Ru: Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Airong Qian: Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Hong Yang: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11193023
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 19
p. 3023

Abstract

Read online

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) compartmentalizes and concentrates biomacromolecules into liquid-like condensates, which underlies membraneless organelles (MLOs) formation in eukaryotic cells. With increasing evidence of the LLPS concept and methods, this phenomenon as a novel principle accounts for explaining the precise spatial and temporal regulation of cellular functions. Moreover, the phenomenon that LLPS tends to concentrate proteins is often accompanied by several abnormal signals for human diseases. It is reported that multiple metabolic diseases are strongly associated with the deposition of insoluble proteinaceous aggregating termed amyloids. At present, recent studies have observed the roles of LLPS in several metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and metabolic bone diseases (MBDs). This review aims to expound on the current concept and methods of LLPS and summarize its vital roles in T2DM, AD, and MBDs, uncover novel mechanisms of these metabolic diseases, and thus provide powerful potential therapeutic strategies and targets for ameliorating these metabolic diseases.

Published in Cells

ISSN: 2073-4409 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Cytology
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cells

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords