Transcription factors articles from across Nature Portfolio

Said et al. used cryoEM, biochemistry and bioinformatics to uncover how the Sm-like protein Rof regulates transcription termination. Rof binds termination factor ρ, inhibiting ρ ring closure and its association with RNA or transcription complexes.

Here, the authors dissect the fuzzy interaction between the prokaryote transcription factor HigA2 and its DNA target and show that specific, transient interactions drive specificity despite HigA2 remaining mostly disordered.

How tissues adapt to extreme cold is not well understood. Here, the authors discover a mechanism that promotes FOXO1-mediated cold survival gene transcription at low temperatures, with potential implications for long-term tissue storage for transplantation.

By investigating key transcription factors in Drosophila, the authors show that pioneering activity is not an intrinsic, binary property. Instead, it is heavily influenced by the level of chromatin occupancy of the transcription factors, which is controlled by multiple protein domains and protein-extrinsic features.

Transcription factor DREB2A interacts with Med25 to regulate stress responses. Here, the authors show that DREB2A uses splicing and proline-isomerization for this regulation and that proline cis-trans switching introduces structural frustration facilitating regulator exchange.

Using targeted proteomics, the authors reveal concurrent mitotic binding of nuclear receptors, a super-family of transcription factors that emerge as recurrent mitotic bookmarking factors, promoting the reactivation of the pluripotency network in embryonic stem cells.

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.

We have designed a method, binding affinities to native chromatin by sequencing (BANC-seq), to determine the transcription factor concentrations required for binding to regulatory elements across the genome. Our study shows that chromatin context and DNA accessibility are key regulators of transcription factor binding.

Primary cilia transduce cues, including Hedgehog (Hh) signals, and possess doublet microtubules that interact with kinesin motors. The kinesin KIF7 is important for Hh signalling and binds to GLI transcription factors. Haque et al. reveal that, surprisingly, GLI proteins bind a DNA-like part of KIF7 to promote their accumulation at the ciliary tip.