Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40645941›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Chromatin heterogeneity modulates nuclear condensate dynamics and phase behavior.

Jing Xia, Jessica Z Zhao, Amy R Strom, Clifford P Brangwynne

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Mechanobiology of the Nucleolus.Biology of the cell · 2026
    Review
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jing XiaDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Jessica Z ZhaoDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-9945-7787
Amy R StromDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1674-3242
Clifford P BrangwynneDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. cbrangwy@princeton.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1350-9960

Funding

National Science Foundation (NSF) DMR-2011750
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The cell nucleus is a soft composite material with a shell-like nuclear cortex enclosing chromatin, comprised of roughly 2 meters of DNA and associated proteins. Assembling on and around chromatin are droplet-like structures known as biomolecular condensates, which form via phase separation, and facilitate vital roles in gene expression. From studies in non-living materials, the driving forces for phase separation are expected to be sensitive to the local mechanical environment, which often exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. However, the relationship between chromatin heterogeneity and the phase equilibrium and dynamics of nuclear condensates remains unclear. Here, we investigate the interplay between chromatin organization and the formation, dynamics, and size of engineered model condensates and endogenous nuclear bodies in living cells. We demonstrate that decreasing chromatin heterogeneity with epigenetic modifying drugs correlates with decreased mobility of both endogenous and engineered condensates, and is associated with impaired condensate growth and shifts in the binodal phase boundary of engineered condensates. These findings illustrate how the cell nucleus behaves as a heterogeneous composite material with mechanically permissive chromatin micro-environments.

Indexed as

Biomolecular CondensatesCell NucleusChromatinEpigenesis, GeneticHeLa CellsHumansChromatin

Identifiers

PMID40645941
PMCPMC12254321

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.