Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41629604›Full record

ArticleNature structural & molecular biology2026

The filamentous ultrastructure of the PopZ condensate is required for its cellular function.

Daniel Scholl, Tumara Boyd, Andrew P Latham, Alexandra Salazar, Asma M A M Khan, Steven Boeynaems, Alex S Holehouse, Gabriel C Lander, Andrej Sali, Donghyun Park and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature structural & molecular biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Plant NLRs are getting into higher-order architectures.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Daniel SchollDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Tumara BoydDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Andrew P LathamQuantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9338-7253
Alexandra SalazarDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6428-9398
Asma M A M KhanDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Steven BoeynaemsDepartment of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9705-9871
Alex S HolehouseDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4155-5729
Gabriel C LanderDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4921-1135
Andrej SaliQuantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0435-6197
Donghyun ParkDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. dopark@scripps.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2048-6004
Ashok A DenizDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. deniz@scripps.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2819-4049
Keren LaskerDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. klasker@scripps.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5480-4173

Funding

Uncovering the role of extracellular condensates as triggers of neuroinflammationDP2NS142714 · NINDS · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI BOEYNAEMS, STEVEN · 2024 to 2024
$1.4M
NINDS NIH HHS DP2 NS142714
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biomolecular condensates have key roles in regulating cellular processes. Yet, the relationship between atomic features and condensate function remains poorly understood. We studied this relationship using the polar organizing protein Z (PopZ). Here, we revealed hierarchical assembly of PopZ into a filamentous condensate by integrating cryo-electron tomography, biochemistry, single-molecule techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. The PopZ helical domain drives filamentation and condensation, while the disordered region inhibits them. Phase-dependent conformational changes prevent interfilament contacts in the dilute phase and expose client-binding sites in the dense phase. Perturbing filament formation in vitro alters the dynamics of scaffold and client proteins and the condensate's wetting behavior. In cells, perturbing either filament formation or the ability of filaments to condense impairs PopZ function and leads to growth phenotypes. These findings establish a multiscale framework linking molecular interactions and condensate ultrastructure to cellular function.

Indexed as

Biomolecular CondensatesBinding SitesCryoelectron MicroscopyElectron Microscope TomographyMolecular Dynamics SimulationProtein Domains

Identifiers

PMID41629604
PMCPMC12999525

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.