Onco-condensates: Formation, Multi-component Organization, and Biological Functions

Overview

Journal Trends Cancer

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Oncology

Date 2023 Jun 22

PMID 37349246

Authors

Chenxi Xu

Arum Kim

Joshua M Corbin

Gang Greg Wang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Numerous cellular processes occur in the context of condensates, a type of large, membrane-less biomolecular assembly generated through phase separation. These condensates function as a hub of diversified cellular events by concentrating the required components. Cancer frequently coopts biomolecular condensation mechanisms to promote survival and/or proliferation. Onco-condensates, which refer to those that have causal roles or are critically involved in tumorigenicity, operate to abnormally elevate biological output of a proliferative process, or to suppress a tumor-suppressive pathway, thereby promoting oncogenesis. Here, we summarize advances regarding how multi-component onco-condensates are established and organized to promote oncogenesis, with those related to chromatin and transcription deregulation used as showcases. A better understanding should enable development of new means of targeting onco-condensates as potential therapeutics.

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