Biomolecular condensates are found throughout eukaryotic cells, including in the nucleus, in the cytoplasm and on membranes. They are also implicated in a wide range of cellular functions, organizing molecules that act in processes ranging from RNA metabolism to signalling to gene regulation. Early work in the field focused on identifying condensates and understanding how their physical properties and regulation arise from molecular constituents. Recent years have brought a focus on understanding condensate functions. Studies have revealed functions that span different length scales: from molecular (modulating the rates of chemical reactions) to mesoscale (organizing large structures within cells) to cellular (facilitating localization of cellular materials and homeostatic responses). In this Roadmap, we discuss representative examples of biochemical and cellular functions of biomolecular condensates from the recent literature and organize these functions into a series of non-exclusive classes across the different length scales. We conclude with a discussion of areas of current interest and challenges in the field, and thoughts about how progress may be made to further our understanding of the widespread roles of condensates in cell biology.

生物分子凝聚物遍布真核细胞，包括细胞核、细胞质和膜上。它们还涉及广泛的细胞功能，组织在从 RNA 代谢到信号传导到基因调控的过程中起作用的分子。该领域的早期工作重点是识别冷凝物并了解它们的物理特性和调节是如何从分子成分中产生的。近年来，人们将注意力集中在了解冷凝水的功能上。研究揭示了跨越不同长度尺度的功能：从分子（调节化学反应速率）到中尺度（在细胞内组织大型结构）到细胞（促进细胞材料的定位和稳态反应）。在本路线图中，我们从最近的文献中讨论了生物分子凝聚物的生化和细胞功能的代表性例子，并将这些功能组织成一系列不同长度尺度的非排他性类别。最后，我们讨论了该领域当前感兴趣的领域和挑战，以及如何取得进展以进一步了解凝聚物在细胞生物学中的广泛作用。