Biomolecular Condensates as Organizers of Bacterial RNA Biology

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PROJECT SUMMARY The fundamental view of bacterial cells is that they are not organized because they generally lack membrane-bound organelles. Despite the textbook perception that bacteria are disorganized, a growing array of non-membrane-bound organelles called “biomolecular condensates” have been identified. These condensates are formed through the physical process of liquid-liquid phase separation and have the capacity to selectively organize enzymes and substrates into distinct subcellular locations, suggesting bacterial cells may be highly organized. The Schrader lab identified the first bacterial condensate in the bacterium C. crescentus, termed the BR-body, which was found to organize the bacterial RNA decay machinery, facilitating its complex multi-step biochemical pathway. Bioinformatic signatures of BR-bodies have been identified across bacteria including many pathogens, suggesting they are broadly conserved. In addition, several bacterial biomolecular condensates have subsequently been identified that are involved in diverse biochemical pathways, suggesting that bacterial cells are generally organized by non-membrane-bound organelles, yet the number and diversity of such structures remains poorly characterized. By combining in vivo imaging experiments and in vitro biochemistry we seek to define the important aspects of biomolecular condensate function and diversity in bacteria. We believe that many of the characteristics of C. crescentus BR- bodies will be shared in pathogenic organisms, potentially leading to the identification of new antibiotic targets.