Protamine Drives Liquid and Solid Condensation of DNA and Glycosaminoglycans.

ABSTRACT: Phase-separated biomolecular condensates play a crucial role in cellular organization. In the nucleus, phase separation regulates the assembly and function of nuclear proteins and the genome. Here, we demonstrate that protamine, an arginine-rich nuclear protein responsible for promoting double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) compaction in sperm, undergoes phase separation with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and induces dsDNA aggregation. The protamine-ssDNA condensates behave as viscoelastic liquid droplets and can be modulated by varying salt concentrations or by treatment with heparin, a glycosaminoglycan polyanion, which we show displaces ssDNA. Moreover, protamine-dsDNA aggregates dissolve upon exposure to heparin, leading to the formation of condensates with a distinct morphology. This observation

SUBMITTER: van der Harten FJF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12490016 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature