DDX18 coordinates nucleolus phase separation and nuclear organization to control the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells

Pluripotent stem cells are unique in their large nucleus and manifestly open chromatin structure with hypertranscriptional activities. How the nucleolus, the largest membraneless and phase-separated subnuclear organelle, maintains its structural integrity in pluripotency maintenance remains incompletely understood. By studying nucleolus-specific DEAD-box RNA helicase-18 (DDX18) in human embryonic stem cells, we discover mechanisms controlling nucleolus phase separation and chromatin organization. In this experiment, we characterized hESCchromatin interaction under control and DDX18 knockdown condition using Hi-C seq.