1. Biomolecular condensates create phospholipid-enriched microenvironments.
- Author
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Dumelie JG, Chen Q, Miller D, Attarwala N, Gross SS, and Jaffrey SR
- Subjects
- Mass Spectrometry, Phospholipids, RNA, Biomolecular Condensates, Metabolome
- Abstract
Proteins and RNA can phase separate from the aqueous cellular environment to form subcellular compartments called condensates. This process results in a protein-RNA mixture that is chemically different from the surrounding aqueous phase. Here, we use mass spectrometry to characterize the metabolomes of condensates. To test this, we prepared mixtures of phase-separated proteins and extracts of cellular metabolites and identified metabolites enriched in the condensate phase. Among the most condensate-enriched metabolites were phospholipids, due primarily to the hydrophobicity of their fatty acyl moieties. We found that phospholipids can alter the number and size of phase-separated condensates and in some cases alter their morphology. Finally, we found that phospholipids partition into a diverse set of endogenous condensates as well as artificial condensates expressed in cells. Overall, these data show that many condensates are protein-RNA-lipid mixtures with chemical microenvironments that are ideally suited to facilitate phospholipid biology and signaling., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)
- Published
- 2024
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