Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42129171›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Biomolecular Condensates as Protein Degradation Tools for Intracellular Targets.

Yi Li, Zhicheng Jin, Sharif U Ahmed, Jagotamoy Das, Reiner Bleher, Dingran Chang, Xiaozhou Yu, Connor D Flynn, Jiajing Zhou, Xiaobing Hu and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
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

16 authors.

Yi LiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0398-0967
Zhicheng JinAiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Sharif U AhmedDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Jagotamoy DasInternational Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-1827
Reiner BleherThe Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0962-797X
Dingran ChangDepartment of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Xiaozhou YuThe Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-5748-5559
Connor D FlynnDepartment of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Jiajing ZhouAiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5203-4737
Xiaobing HuThe Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9233-8118
Kangfu ChenDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5077-2223
Kimberly T RiordanDepartment of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Ranjit AtwalRobert H. Laurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Julia M MayesDepartment of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5778-0022
Zongjie WangDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. daniel.wang@czbiohub.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9900-7197
Shana O KelleyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. shana.kelley@northwestern.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3360-5359

Funding

Tumor Environment and Metastasis (TEAM) Research ProgramP30CA060553 · NCI · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI Devalingam Mahalingam · 1993 to 2026
$153.9M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA060553
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Targeted protein degradation harnesses endogenous cellular machinery to eliminate disease-causing proteins, yet achieving phenotype-specific degradation across diverse cell types remains challenging. Here we show that antibody-enriched biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation function as intracellular protein degradation tools, combining cytosolic trafficking with direct proteasome recruitment for targeted substrate clearance. These nanoscale condensates incorporate a short proteasome-targeting motif into phase-separation precursors, preserve antibody activity, enable direct proteasome recruitment, and improve delivery uniformity. When loaded with a mutation-specific antibody, these condensates selectively degrade oncogenic KRAS G12V without affecting wild-type KRAS in heterozygous cells, and suppress tumor growth in a KRAS G12V xenograft model. This strategy provides a modular platform for intracellular protein degradation that can be readily adapted by exchanging antibodies, without requiring genetic modification of cellular system.

Indexed as

Biomolecular CondensatesProteolysisAnimalsCell Line, TumorHumansMicePhase SeparationProteasome Endopeptidase ComplexProto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)KRAS protein, humanProteasome Endopeptidase ComplexProto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)

Identifiers

PMID42129171
PMCPMC13396499

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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.