Moschou, Panagiotis Nikolaou
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH)
- University of Crete
Abstract
Organisms frequently encounter abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, requiring sophisticated adaptive mechanisms. Stress memory enables them to respond more efficiently to repeated environmental challenges by retaining information from prior exposures. Biomolecular condensates, dynamic, membraneless cellular assemblies formed by liquid-liquid phase separation, have emerged as crucial regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression, particularly in stress conditions. These condensates modulate RNA fate and translational repression by selectively storing and organizing key molecules in ways that may contribute to cellular memory mechanisms. Here, we explore the biophysical principles underpinning condensate formation and dynamics, with a focus on processing bodies (PBs) as potential cellular memory storage systems. We propose a framework for how PBs might integrate biochemical and biophysical signals to encode, maintain, and retrieve stress-responsive information, and discuss the evidence supporting their role in coordinated stress responses and adaptive resilience in plants. SIGNIFICANCE Noninherited cellular memory, the ability to remember and respond more effectively to recurring stress, is critical for survival, yet how cells physically encode, retrieve, and erase this information remains unclear. This review proposes that biomolecular condensates function as dynamic memory storage systems. By integrating thermodynamic principles with kinetic modeling, we demonstrate how the condensates known as "processing bodies" encode stress history through molecular sequestration, maintain information via gel-like networks, and erase memory through regulated dissolution. We introduce a quantitative framework that transforms condensates from passive assemblies into optimized nonequilibrium information processors. This work reveals a previously underappreciated physical mechanism of cellular adaptation and provides testable predictions for understanding how organisms achieve stress resilience.
Published in
Biophysical Journal
2026, volume: 125, number: 1, pages: 12-28
Publisher: CELL PRESS
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Biophysics
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2025.11.2681
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145912