Kinase KEY1 controls pyrenoid condensate size throughout the cell cycle by disrupting phase separation interactions.

ABSTRACT: Biomolecular condensates spatially organize cellular functions, but the regulation of their size, number, dissolution, and re-condensation is poorly understood. The pyrenoid, an algal biomolecular condensate that mediates one-third of global CO₂ fixation, typically exists as one large condensate per chloroplast, but during cell division it transiently dissolves and reconfigures into multiple smaller condensates. Here, we identify a kinase, KEY1, in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that regulates pyrenoid condensate size and number dynamics throughout the cell cycle and is necessary for normal pyrenoid function and growth. Unlike wild type, key1 mutant cells have multiple smaller condensates throughout the cell cycle that fail to dissolve during cell divisio

SUBMITTER: He S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12632510 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature