Switching Condensates: The CTD Code Goes Liquid

Bede Portz; James Shorter

doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2019.10.009

Switching Condensates: The CTD Code Goes Liquid

Trends Biochem Sci. 2020 Jan;45(1):1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2019.10.009. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Authors

Bede Portz¹, James Shorter²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
² Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: jshorter@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

PMID: 31734037
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2019.10.009

Abstract

Condensates containing RNA polymerase II (Pol II) materialize at sites of active transcription. Young and coworkers now establish that C-terminal domain phosphorylation regulates Pol II partitioning into distinct condensates connected with transcription initiation or splicing. This advance hints that distinct condensates with specialized functional compositions might choreograph distinct stages of transcription.

Keywords: RNA polymerase II; biophysics; kinase; phase separation; transcription.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Phosphorylation
RNA Polymerase II / metabolism
RNA Splicing*
Transcription, Genetic*

Substances

RNA Polymerase II