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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Published on: February 12, 2022
Physicochemical principles of RNA-mediated crowding
Jonathan Fiorentino1, Michele Monti1, Laura Broglia1
1RNA Systems Biology Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Cellular molecular crowding arises from RNA and protein interactions, not just excluded volume. RNA
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Molecular crowding is a key cellular phenomenon impacting biomolecular interactions and function.
- Traditionally attributed to excluded volume effects, the role of specific molecular interactions is increasingly recognized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physicochemical principles of RNA-mediated molecular crowding.
- To elucidate how RNA sequence, structure, and network properties drive cellular organization.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of RNA sequence-driven multivalency and structural topology.
- Examination of network connectivity and its role in percolation and phase separation.
- Investigating the influence of RNA length and concentration on phase boundaries.
Main Results:
- RNA repeats, secondary structures, and motifs like G-quadruplexes act as interaction modules.
- These modules facilitate percolation and phase separation, crucial for condensate formation.
- RNA length and concentration modulate the boundaries of these phase-separated states.
Conclusions:
- RNA-mediated interactions are central to cellular crowding and molecular organization.
- Crowding is an emergent property driven by RNA's inherent features and its interactions.
- This framework links molecular properties to mesoscale organization in health and disease.
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