Germline P Granules Are Liquid Droplets That Localize by Controlled Dissolution/Condensation

Abstract

P Granule Conundrum In many organisms, the presumptive germ cells can be distinguished from somatic cells by the presence of distinctive cytoplasmic granules. In Caenorhabditis elegans , these P granules are more or less uniformly distributed in the oocyte and one-cell stage of the fertilized egg. By the end of the first cleavage, however, the anterior cell is essentially free of P granules, whereas the posterior cell still displays a prominent population of granules. Exactly how this process occurs and whether it involves directed migration of the granules is unclear. Now Brangwynne et al. (p. 1729 , published online 21 May; see the Perspective by Le Goff and Lecuit ) provide evidence that localization occurs by a quite different mechanism, controlled dissolution and condensation of granule components. This type of cytoplasmic remodeling by physicochemical mechanisms can now be looked for in other cellular and developmental systems.