Protein Phase Separation: New Insights into Carcinogenesis

Phase separation is now acknowledged as an essential biologic mechanism wherein distinct activated molecules assemble into a different phase from the surrounding constituents of a cell. Condensates formed by phase separation play an essential role in the life activities of various organisms under normal physiological conditions, including the advanced structure and regulation of chromatin, autophagic degradation of incorrectly folded or unneeded proteins, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. During malignant transformation, abnormally altered condensate assemblies are often associated with the abnormal activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressors, resulting in the promotion of the carcinogenic process. Thus, understanding the role of phase separation in various biological evolutionary processes will provide new ideas for the development of drugs targeting specific condensates, which is expected to be an effective cancer therapy strategy. However, the relationship between phase separation and cancer has not been fully elucidated. In this review, we mainly summarize the main processes and characteristics of phase separation and the main methods for detecting phase separation. In addition, we summarize the cancer proteins and signaling pathways involved in phase separation and discuss their promising future applications in addressing the unmet clinical therapeutic needs of people with cancer. Finally, we explain the means of targeted phase separation and cancer treatment.