IDP Protein Condensates Challenges NeoDarwinism

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Title: IDP Protein Condensates Challenges NeoDarwinism

The article "Protein condensates as flexible platforms for membrane traffic" by Sarah L. Reck-Peterson and Anne M. Ridley, published in Current Opinion in Cell Biology in 2021, reviews the emerging role of protein condensates in membrane traffic. Protein condensates are liquid-like, dynamic assemblies of proteins and other molecules that form without the need for a membrane. They are thought to play a role in a variety of cellular processes, including cell signaling, metabolism, and gene regulation.


The authors of the article discuss how protein condensates can regulate membrane traffic in a number of ways. For example, protein condensates can function as platforms for the assembly and activation of membrane trafficking machinery. They can also serve as sorting hubs for cargo proteins and vesicles. Additionally, protein condensates can be used to regulate the dynamics of membrane fusion and fission.

The authors conclude by discussing the potential implications of protein condensates for the development of new therapeutic strategies. For example, targeting protein condensates could be a way to disrupt tumor cell metastasis or to inhibit the replication of viruses.

Here are some specific examples of how protein condensates regulate membrane traffic:

  • COPII vesicles: COPII vesicles are responsible for transporting proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus. COPII vesicle assembly is initiated by the formation of a protein condensate on the ER membrane. This condensate contains a number of proteins, including the COPII coat proteins Sec23/24 and Sar1. The condensate serves as a platform for the assembly of the COPII coat, which is essential for vesicle formation.

  • Autophagosomes: Autophagosomes are double-membraned vesicles that are responsible for lysosomal degradation of cellular components. Autophagosome assembly is initiated by the formation of a protein condensate on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. This condensate contains a number of proteins, including the autophagy initiation complex ULK1/ATG13/FIP200 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complex. The condensate serves as a platform for the recruitment of other proteins and lipids that are essential for autophagosome formation.

  • Endosomes: Endosomes are vesicles that are responsible for sorting internalized cargo proteins. Endosomes are highly dynamic organelles that constantly undergo fusion and fission. Protein condensates play a role in regulating the dynamics of endosomes. For example, the protein Rab5 can form condensates on endosomes. These condensates help to recruit other proteins that are involved in endosome trafficking and signaling.


Protein condensates are a new and exciting area of research. The authors of the article argue that protein condensates play a fundamental role in membrane traffic. Further research on protein condensates could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for a variety of diseases.

The Neodarwinian model of evolution is based on the idea that natural selection operates on random mutations to produce new traits. However, the discovery of protein condensates as flexible platforms for membrane traffic challenges this model by suggesting that new traits can also arise from the spontaneous assembly of existing proteins.

Protein condensates are liquid-like droplets that form inside cells when certain proteins are concentrated. They can be found in a variety of cellular locations, and they play a role in a variety of cellular processes, including membrane traffic.

Membrane traffic is the movement of molecules and organelles between different compartments of the cell. It is essential for the proper functioning of all cells, and it is disrupted in many diseases.

The discovery that protein condensates can play a role in membrane traffic has suggested that new traits related to membrane traffic could arise from the spontaneous assembly of existing proteins. This challenges the Neodarwinian model of evolution, which is based on the idea that natural selection operates on random mutations to produce new traits.

For example, if a new protein condensate were to form that was more efficient at transporting molecules between two compartments of the cell, this could give the cell a significant advantage. Over time, this advantage could lead to the development of a new protein condensate, even though it did not arise from Darwinian random mutations.

In addition, the discovery of protein condensates suggests that there may be many more ways for new traits to arise than previously thought. This could have implications for our understanding of evolution, and it could also lead to new ways to develop treatments for diseases that are caused by disruptions in membrane traffic.

Here are some specific examples of how the discovery of protein condensates challenges Neodarwinism:

  • Protein condensates can form and disassemble rapidly, without the need for any new mutations. This means that new traits related to membrane traffic could arise very quickly, without the need for a p period of natural selection.

  • Protein condensates can be composed of different combinations of proteins. This means that there is a vast potential for diversity in the types of protein condensates that can form. This diversity could lead to the emergence of new traits that are not possible with NeoDarwinism.

  • Protein condensates can interact with each other in complex ways. This means that the formation of one protein condensate can affect the formation of other protein condensates. This could lead to the emergence of new traits that are based on complex interactions between proteins.

Overall, the discovery of protein condensates has opened up new possibilities for our understanding of evolution. It suggests that new traits can arise in ways that were not previously thought possible under neodarwinism, and it could lead to new ways to develop treatments for diseases that are caused by disruptions in membrane traffic.

Articles

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1873-3468.14560#:~:text=COPII%2Dcoated%20vesicles%20are%20responsible,%2C%207%2C%208%5D%5D.

https://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/21/22/2861.full#:~:text=to%20be%20revealed.-,Degradation,degraded%20by%20lysosomal%2Fvacuolar%20hydrolases.

https://hal.science/hal-03847415/document#:~:text=The%20liquid%2Dlike%20properties%20of,of%20proteins%20during%20endocytic%20progression.



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