Making the Case for Disordered Proteins and Biomolecular Condensates in Bacteria

Abstract

Intrinsically disordered proteins/regions (IDPs/IDRs) contribute to a diverse array of molecular functions in eukaryotic systems. There is also growing recognition that membraneless biomolecular condensates, many of which are organized or regulated by IDPs/IDRs, can enable spatial and temporal regulation of complex biochemical reactions in eukaryotes. Motivated by these findings, we assess if (and how) membraneless biomolecular condensates and IDPs/IDRs are functionally involved in key cellular processes and molecular functions in bacteria. We summarize the conceptual underpinnings of condensate assembly and leverage these concepts by connecting them to recent findings that implicate specific types of condensates and IDPs/IDRs in important cellular level processes and molecular functions in bacterial systems.

Keywords: cellular organization; glass transitions; phase separation aided percolation; phase transitions; stickers and spacers.