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Transcription factors are proteins that bind to DNA to regulate gene expression via transcription: the process by which the genetic code generates mRNAs or small RNAs. Transcription factors operate by various methods, for example, by modulating the binding of RNA polymerase or by recruiting coactivator or corepressor proteins to the DNA.
Activation of genes depends on transcription factors and chromatin remodelers. Here, the authors show ARID1A organizes these components through phase separation, co-condensing with specific transcription factors to maintain chromatin accessibility and drive gene expression.
Here, the authors demonstrate that VGLL4 maintains cartilage integrity by forming a complex with TEAD4-SMAD3 to regulate extracellular matrix homeostasis. VGLL4 deficiency accelerates osteoarthritis, while its restoration or SMAD3 delivery rescues cartilage damage, suggesting therapeutic potential.
The signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family proteins are attractive drug targets but tools to monitor their activation are lacking. Now, STAT biosensors have been developed for real-time tracking in live cells and are applied to screen inhibitors and investigate the effects of cancer-associated mutations.
The authors present PIONEAR–seq technology to assay in vitro binding of pioneer transcription factors to nucleosomes. The PIONEAR–seq data reveal that a nucleosome’s broader sequence context regulates the interactions of pioneer transcription factors via DNA bendability.
Transcription factors shape cell identity, but mapping their genomic targets remains challenging. Here the authors present DynaTag, a modified CUT&Tag method for profiling TF occupancy in bulk and single cells, and apply it to assess changes in TF activity in SCLC tumours following chemotherapy.
A complex of the NF-κB family member p52 and the transcription factor ETS1 is required for B cell germinal center responses to T cell-dependent immunization and for IgE-dependent allergic responses.
Genes in transcription factor families presumably arose to accommodate the increasingly complex regulatory needs of multicellular organisms. A study now identifies the basis for distinction between the NF-κB family members Rel and RelA.
The androgen receptor forms nuclear condensates associated with gene transcription. Investigating the molecular basis of condensate formation led us to discover an approach for optimizing small molecules that inhibit the receptor in a currently untreatable form of prostate cancer.
Transcription factors bind RNA through an Arg-rich motif; these interactions potentially promote transcription and development, and their dissociation can contribute to disease.
