In addition to bilayer lipid membrane-coated organelles, cells also use membraneless organelles to physically specify and compartmentalize distinct cellular roles. Liquid-liquid phase separation, a method in which particular molecules in liquid are divided into two coexisting phases under certain conditions, is used to assemble several membraneless organelles. Phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids within cells has emerged as an advantageous way for many cellular processes to take place and aberrant phase separation has been linked to human disease. Many advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of phase separation in yeast and animals have been made after Brangwynne and colleagues demonstrated that P granules are liquid droplets in 2009. However, the investigation of phase separation in plant biology is still in its infancy.
Plants have a variety of developmental characteristics that differentiate them from animals. Plant cells, for instance, have a cell wall and chloroplast that are absent in animal cells. Plants are sessile organisms due to their inability to move. Plants evolved specific mechanisms to compensate for their immobility, allowing them to react quickly to environmental changes. At the molecular level, the extended divergence time between plants and animals accelerates the evolution of plant-specific phase separation mechanisms.
The role of phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids in plant development and response to external stimuli is a field that merits further study. The goal of this Research Topic is to present an overview of the different studies of phase separation in plant biology.
?We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts including original research papers, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to:
· The assembly and function of stress granules
· Investigation of P bodies, Cajal bodies etc.
· Characterization of novel membraneless organelles such as transcription condensates
· Phase separation in epigenetic regulations
· Phase separation in photomorphogenesis and photosynthesis
· Phase separation in hormone signaling
· Phase separation in biotic and abiotic stress responses
In addition to bilayer lipid membrane-coated organelles, cells also use membraneless organelles to physically specify and compartmentalize distinct cellular roles. Liquid-liquid phase separation, a method in which particular molecules in liquid are divided into two coexisting phases under certain conditions, is used to assemble several membraneless organelles. Phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids within cells has emerged as an advantageous way for many cellular processes to take place and aberrant phase separation has been linked to human disease. Many advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of phase separation in yeast and animals have been made after Brangwynne and colleagues demonstrated that P granules are liquid droplets in 2009. However, the investigation of phase separation in plant biology is still in its infancy.
Plants have a variety of developmental characteristics that differentiate them from animals. Plant cells, for instance, have a cell wall and chloroplast that are absent in animal cells. Plants are sessile organisms due to their inability to move. Plants evolved specific mechanisms to compensate for their immobility, allowing them to react quickly to environmental changes. At the molecular level, the extended divergence time between plants and animals accelerates the evolution of plant-specific phase separation mechanisms.
The role of phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids in plant development and response to external stimuli is a field that merits further study. The goal of this Research Topic is to present an overview of the different studies of phase separation in plant biology.
?We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts including original research papers, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to:
· The assembly and function of stress granules
· Investigation of P bodies, Cajal bodies etc.
· Characterization of novel membraneless organelles such as transcription condensates
· Phase separation in epigenetic regulations
· Phase separation in photomorphogenesis and photosynthesis
· Phase separation in hormone signaling
· Phase separation in biotic and abiotic stress responses
