Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Protein Maturation

Bacterial Protein Maturation

Bacterial protein maturation is a tightly regulated process that ensures newly synthesized polypeptides achieve correct functional conformations. This maturation involves a series of modifications, folding events, and quality control steps, often assisted by specialized chaperone proteins.N-Terminal ModificationsThe maturation of bacterial polypeptides begins cotranslationally as the polypeptide exits the ribosome. The first amino acid, N-formylmethionine (fMet), is typically modified at the...

Covalently Linked Protein Regulators

Covalently Linked Protein Regulators

Proteins can undergo many types of post-translational modifications, often in response to changes in their environment. These modifications play an important role in the function and stability of these proteins. Covalently linked molecules include functional groups, such as methyl, acetyl, and phosphate groups, and also small proteins, such as ubiquitin. There are around 200 different types of covalent regulators that have been identified.
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins. Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils.
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...

Protein Folding Quality Check in the RER

Protein Folding Quality Check in the RER

ER is the primary site for the maturation and folding of soluble and transmembrane secretory proteins. The calnexin cycle is a specific chaperone system that folds and assesses the confirmation of N-glycosylated proteins before they can exit the ER lumen. The primary players of this quality check pipeline are the lectins, ER-resident chaperones, and a glucosyl transferase enzyme. In case the calnexin system in the lumen fails to salvage a misfolded protein, it is transported to the cytoplasm...

The Unfolded Protein Response

The Unfolded Protein Response

The ER is the hub of protein synthesis in a cell. It has robust systems to quality control protein folding and also for degradation of terminally misfolded proteins. Under normal conditions, a small proportion of misfolded proteins that cannot be salvaged need to be transported to the cytoplasm by the ER-associated degradation or ERAD pathways. However, if the ERAD cannot handle the misfolded proteins, the cell activates the unfolded protein response or UPR to adjust the protein folding...

Proteins: From Genes to Degradation

Proteins: From Genes to Degradation

Within a biological system, the DNA encodes the RNA, and the nucleotide sequence in the RNA further defines the amino acid sequence in the protein. This is referred to as “The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology” - a term coined by Francis Crick. Central dogma is a firm principle in biology that defines the flow of genetic information within any life form. The two fundamental steps in central dogma are - transcription and translation.
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Is the gut a reservoir of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in people with cystic fibrosis?

Journal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society·2026

Same author

Genotoxic pks + E. coli is strongly associated with ileocolonic neoplasia in adults with Cystic Fibrosis.

Journal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society·2026

Same author

Deep learning of functional perturbations from condensate morphology.

Cell·2026

Same author

Sequence and structure of protein binding sites in RNA impact biomolecular condensates.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

RNA promotes synapsin phase separation providing a platform for local translation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Label-free microscopy enables high-throughput identification of genes controlling biofilm development.

mBio·2026

Same journal

Thyroid cancer-associated EZH1 Q571R mutation drives chromatin compaction and H3K27me3 invasion into active chromatin.

Molecular cell·2026

Same journal

Genome-wide rotational and translational phasing of nucleosomes with human transcription factors.

Molecular cell·2026

Same journal

Spliceosomal proofreading factors safeguard 3' splice-site fidelity and prevent proteotoxicity and inflammation.

Molecular cell·2026

Same journal

Cytosolic EZH2-IMPDH2 complexes regulate melanoma progression and metastasis via GTP.

Molecular cell·2026

Same journal

A bacterial reverse transcriptase: Protein-templated DNA synthesis fuels antiviral immunity.

Molecular cell·2026

Same journal

Tweezing apart ribosome heterogeneity.

Molecular cell·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Monitoring Protein Aggregation Kinetics In Vivo using Automated Inclusion Counting in Caenorhabditis elegans

Monitoring Protein Aggregation Kinetics In Vivo using Automated Inclusion Counting in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: December 17, 2021

RNA Controls PolyQ Protein Phase Transitions.

Huaiying Zhang¹, Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle², Erin M Langdon³

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.

|October 17, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) drive the formation of distinct, phase-separated cellular compartments. Different mRNAs impart unique physical properties, influencing cellular biochemistry and organization.

More Related Videos

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Published on: January 8, 2015

Optogenetic Phase Transition of TDP-43 in Spinal Motor Neurons of Zebrafish Larvae

Optogenetic Phase Transition of TDP-43 in Spinal Motor Neurons of Zebrafish Larvae

Published on: February 25, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Monitoring Protein Aggregation Kinetics In Vivo using Automated Inclusion Counting in Caenorhabditis elegans

Monitoring Protein Aggregation Kinetics In Vivo using Automated Inclusion Counting in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: December 17, 2021

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans

Published on: January 8, 2015

Optogenetic Phase Transition of TDP-43 in Spinal Motor Neurons of Zebrafish Larvae

Optogenetic Phase Transition of TDP-43 in Spinal Motor Neurons of Zebrafish Larvae

Published on: February 25, 2022

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biochemistry
Molecular biology

Background:

Cellular compartmentalization controls biochemical processes.
Membrane-less compartments form via liquid-liquid phase separation.
The spatiotemporal control of these assemblies is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the role of specific mRNAs in phase separation.
Determine how mRNAs influence the properties of phase-separated compartments.
Understand mRNA's contribution to cellular organization.

Main Methods:

Studied the RNA-binding protein Whi3 and its mRNA targets.
Analyzed the biophysical properties of phase-separated droplets.
Measured mRNA's effect on droplet viscosity, fusion, and component exchange.

Main Results:

Specific mRNAs, targeted by Whi3, drive phase separation.
mRNA composition alters droplet viscosity and fusion rates.
Different mRNAs confer unique biophysical properties to cellular assemblies.

Conclusions:

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encode biophysical properties of phase-separated compartments.
mRNA plays a crucial role in defining the identity and function of these assemblies.
This provides a new layer of regulation for cellular organization.