Just like all matter, proteins can also switch between gas, liquid and solid phases. Protein phase transition has claimed the spotlight in recent years as a novel way of how cells compartmentalize and regulate biochemical reactions. Moreover, this discovery has provided a new framework for the study of membrane-less organelle biogenesis and protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders. We now argue that this framework could be useful in the study of cell cycle regulation and cancer. Based on our work on phase transitions of arginine-rich proteins in neurodegeneration, via combining mass spectroscopy with bioinformatics analyses, we found that also numerous proteins involved in the regulation of the cell cycle can undergo protein phase separation. Indeed, several proteins whose function affects the cell cycle or are associated with cancer, have been recently found to phase separate from the test tube to cells. Investigating the role of this process for cell cycle proteins and understanding its molecular underpinnings will provide pivotal insights into the biology of cell cycle progression and cancer.

中文翻译：

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逐步进入细胞周期。

就像所有物质一样，蛋白质也可以在气相，液相和固相之间转换。近年来，蛋白质相变已成为人们关注的焦点，它是细胞如何分隔和调节生化反应的一种新颖方法。而且，该发现为研究神经退行性疾病中无膜细胞器的生物发生和蛋白质聚集提供了新的框架。现在，我们认为该框架可用于细胞周期调控和癌症的研究。基于我们对神经变性中富含精氨酸的蛋白质的相变的研究，通过结合质谱和生物信息学分析，我们发现参与细胞周期调控的许多蛋白质也可以经历蛋白质相分离。实际上，几种蛋白质的功能会影响细胞周期或与癌症相关，最近发现已经从试管到细胞相分离。研究此过程对细胞周期蛋白的作用并了解其分子基础将提供对细胞周期进程和癌症生物学的重要见解。