Prof. Maeshima’s comment on the role of phase separation in transcription, “New door to understanding transcription, open with caution.” was published in the April 15 issue of Molecular Cell (Cell Press).
https://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/fulltext/S1097-2765(21)00267-7
In recent years, a principle called “liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)” has been in the limelight in cell biology. It is thought that LLPS can increase the concentration of specific molecules in cells and create membrane-less structures “droplets”, making it possible to control cellular functions spatially and temporally. Because of this trend, many researchers claim that the intracellular assembly of various molecules is a droplet.
This time, while Prof. Maeshima admits that LLPS is an exciting new concept in cell biology, he argues that there is a lack of tools to prove the existence of “droplets” in the cell and that careful research based on the observation of individual molecule behavior is required.