title: Phase transitions and size scaling of membrane-less organelles.
abstract: The coordinated growth of cells and their organelles is a fundamental and poorly understood problem, with implications for processes ranging from embryonic development to oncogenesis. Recent experiments have shed light on the cell size-dependent assembly of membrane-less cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic structures, including ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and other intracellular bodies. Many of these structures behave as condensed liquid-like phases of the cytoplasm/nucleoplasm. The phase transitions that appear to govern their assembly exhibit an intrinsic dependence on cell size, and may explain the size scaling reported for a number of structures. This size scaling could, in turn, play a role in cell growth and size control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
authors.forename: Clifford P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Brangwynne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049108:Cell Enlargement; D048429:Cell Size; D018385:Centrosome / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006112:Gravitation; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D042541:Intracellular Space; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D012261:Ribonucleoproteins