On the Roles of the Nuclear Non-Coding RNA-Dependent Membrane-Less Organelles in the Cellular Stress Response

At the beginning of the 21st century, it became obvious that radical changes had taken place in the concept of living matter and, in particular, in the concept of the organization of intracellular space. The accumulated data testify to the essential importance of phase transitions of biopolymers (first of all, intrinsically disordered proteins and RNA) in the spatiotemporal organization of the intracellular space. Of particular interest is the stress-induced reorganization of the intracellular space. Examples of organelles formed in response to stress are nuclear A-bodies and nuclear stress bodies. The formation of these organelles is based on liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and non-coding RNA. Despite their overlapping composition and similar mechanism of formation, these organelles have different functional activities and physical properties. In this review, we will focus our attention on these membrane-less organelles (MLOs) and describe their functions, structure, and mechanism of formation.

Automated summary

At the beginning of the 21st century, it became clear that there were significant changes in the concept of living matter and intracellular organization. Phase transitions of biopolymers, such as intrinsically disordered proteins and RNA, play a crucial role in the spatiotemporal organization of intracellular space. Stress-induced reorganization of intracellular space forms membrane-less organelles, such as nuclear A-bodies and nuclear stress bodies, through liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins and non-coding RNA. This review focuses on the functions, structure, and formation mechanism of these membrane-less organelles.