RNA–RNA interactions encode material properties of biomolecular condensates

RNA–RNA interactions play an important role in cellular functions; however, cells must limit these interactions to avoid irreversible RNA entanglement. For example, RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of single-stranded RNA viruses often use long perfectly complementary templates and rely on transient pairing of short complementary sequences for viral replication. Thus, a leading question is: how do viral RNA sequences block irreversible entanglement of the long complementary strands while simultaneously promoting weak transient RNA–RNA interactions?

In this talk, I will discuss how biomolecular condensates may represent a key strategy. By combining molecular simulations at submolecular resolutions with experiments, I will demonstrate how the degree of RNA–RNA complementarity specifies the material properties of condensates. Furthermore, I will discuss the potential critical role of this mechanism in viral replication.