Hydrogel formation by multivalent IDPs: A reincarnation of the microtrabecular lattice?

ABSTRACT: Based on high-voltage electron microscopic (HVEM) data of fixed cultured cells, an elaborate three-dimensional network of filaments, including and interconnecting other elements of the cytoskeleton, was observed in cells some half a century ago. Despite many attempts and comparative studies, this "microtrabecular lattice" (MTL) of the cytoplasmic ground substance could not be established as a genuine component of the eukaryotic cell, and is mostly considered today as a sample-preparation artifact of protein adherence and cross-linking to the cytoskeleton. Here we elaborate on the provocative idea that recent observations of hydrogel-forming phase transitions of repetitive regions of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) bear resemblance in creation, organization and physical appearance

SUBMITTER: Tompa P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5424804 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature