Nuclear processes such as DNA replication, transcription, and RNA processing each depend on the concerted action of many different protein and RNA molecules. How biomolecules with shared functions find their way to specific locations has been assumed to occur largely by diffusion-mediated collisions. Recent studies have shown that many nuclear processes occur within condensates that compartmentalize and concentrate the protein and RNA molecules required for each process, typically at specific genomic loci. These condensates have common features and emergent properties that provide the cell with regulatory capabilities beyond canonical molecular regulatory mechanisms. We describe here the shared features of nuclear condensates, the components that produce locus-specific condensates, elements of specificity, and the emerging understanding of mechanisms regulating these compartments.

DNA 复制、转录和 RNA 加工等核过程均依赖于许多不同蛋白质和 RNA 分子的协同作用。人们认为具有共享功能的生物分子如何找到到达特定位置的方式主要是通过扩散介导的碰撞发生的。最近的研究表明，许多核过程发生在凝结物内，这些凝结物通常在特定的基因组位点分隔和浓缩每个过程所需的蛋白质和 RNA 分子。这些凝聚物具有共同的特征和新的特性，为细胞提供了超出规范分子调节机制的调节能力。我们在这里描述核凝聚物的共同特征、产生位点特异性凝聚物的成分、特异性元素以及对调节这些区室的机制的新兴理解。