Single-Moelecule Imaging of FET Fusion Oncoproteins

FET fusion proteins (FUS/EWS/TAF15) are critical in many human cancers, like sarcomas and leukemia. Interestingly, at the molecular level, they also form biomolecular condensates. However, underlying biophysical mechanism of these condensates on DNA remains poorly understood. Studies using single-molecule method, Curtains, demonstrated that finite sized droplets via liquid-liquid phase separation. They bind strongly to loci with a threshold number binding sites. Importantly, C-terminal domain RNA polymerase II can be recruited specific sites enhance gene transcription, suggesting for -mediated dysregulation expression during tumorigenesis. These findings have important implications understanding relationship between transcription regulation cancer onset.