Whi3key old fashioned: a condensate cocktail for cell fate decisions.

Cameron O Schmitz, Ankur Jain

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

How do single cells weigh conflicting internal and external signals to arrive at unambiguous fate decisions? Peskett et al. reveal that a partnership between two condensates, Whi3 assemblies and P-bodies, forms a decision module in budding yeast that encodes aging information and enables context-dependent choices between proliferation, senescence, and mating.

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Research summary

The study identifies a specific molecular mechanism involving Whi3 and P-body condensates that encodes aging information to regulate cell fate decisions in budding yeast. This work is relevant as it elucidates fundamental cellular processes linked to aging, but it represents an incremental advance in yeast biology with limited immediate translational impact on human longevity.

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