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Updated: Jul 4, 2025
08:35
Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data
Published on: June 24, 2021
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Phase separation of YAP-MAML2 differentially regulates the transcriptome.
Chan-I Chung1,2, Junjiao Yang1,2, Xiaoyu Yang3
1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158.
Summary
Phase separation (PS) drives biomolecular condensate formation. This study shows PS selectively impacts a small fraction of YAP-MAML2-regulated genes, revealing differential roles in gene expression.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Biomolecular condensates, formed by phase separation (PS), are crucial for cellular processes.
- Transcriptional factor (TF) condensates are transcriptionally active, but the extent of PS-driven gene activation is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of PS in YAP-MAML2-mediated gene expression.
- To quantify the impact of PS on gene activation by comparing phase-separated and non-phase-separated conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a chemogenetic tool to dissolve YAP-MAML2 condensates.
- Compared gene expression profiles under phase-separated and non-phase-separated conditions at identical protein levels.
Main Results:
- Phase separation selectively affects a small subset of YAP-MAML2-regulated genes, including CTGF and CYR61.
- The majority of YAP-MAML2-regulated genes are not influenced by PS, indicating effective transcription activation by diffuse TF complexes.
Conclusions:
- Phase separation plays a selective role in modulating gene expression.
- Transcription can be efficiently activated by diffuse TF complexes, suggesting differential roles of PS in biological regulation.
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