Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Transcriptional control is fundamental to cellular function. However, despite knowing that transcription factors can repress or activate specific genes, how these functions are implemented at the molecular level has remained elusive, particularly in the endogenous context of developing animals. Here, we combine optogenetics, single-cell live-imaging, and mathematical modeling to study how a zinc-finger repressor, Knirps, induces switch-like transitions into long-lived quiescent states. Using optogenetics, we demonstrate that repression is rapidly reversible (~1 min) and memoryless. Furthermore, we show that the repressor acts by decreasing the frequency of transcriptional bursts in a manner consistent with an equilibrium binding model. Our results provide a quantitative framework for dissecting the in vivo biochemistry of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,790
Funders: National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation, Hellman Foundation, Searle Scholars Program, Tel Aviv University, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Awards: G1037014486, G1079525982, G1138621404, Genomics, G1723340172, Predictive understanding of the temporal control of transcription in Drosophila development, G3327450615, In vivo mechanisms of Dorsal-mediated transcriptional control in development, G3869868442, CAREER: Predictive Understanding and Control of Embryonic Developmental Programs, G4896940994, G5520316217, G6671297155
OpenAlex ID: W4403786419