Molecular determinants and signaling effects of PKA RIα phase separation

 (Liquid droplets shape how cells respond to change. Cells form liquid droplets to prevent dysfunctional signaling and deadly diseases)

In this article, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated in a new study that cells control cAMP/PKA signaling by separating excess PKA catalytic subunits into areas where they are safe. Certain malignancies can prevent liquid droplets from forming, which can trigger hyperactive signaling and the growth of tumors. Reactions of healthy cells to environmental changes are appropriate. They accomplish this by detecting external events and transmitting an order to the exact biomolecule in the exact domain that can execute the required reaction. Your body maintains its health when the communication reaches the appropriate domain at the appropriate moment. When it arrives at the wrong location at the wrong time, illnesses like diabetes or cancer might develop. The liquid droplets' composition and formation time were examined by the scientists, who discovered that excessive cAMP and PKA activation caused cells to produce the droplets via a PKA subunit. Thus, the droplets inhibited non-specific signaling by sequestering the excess cAMP and PKA.

Citations:

Julia C. Hardy, Emily H. Pool, Jessica G.H. Bruystens, Xin Zhou, Qingrong Li, Daojia R. Zhou, Max Palay, Gerald Tan, Lisa Chen, Jaclyn L.C. Choi, Ha Neul Lee, Stefan Strack, Dong Wang, Susan S. Taylor, Sohum Mehta, Jin Zhang. Molecular determinants and signaling effects of PKA RIα phase separation. Molecular Cell, 2024; 84 (8): 1570 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.03.002

University of California - San Diego. "Liquid droplets shape how cells respond to change." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 April 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240422152122.htm>.