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Rapid Synthesis and Screening of Chemically Activated Transcription Factors with GFP-based Reporters
Published on: November 26, 2013
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Modulation of transcription factor dynamics allows versatile information transmission
Alan Givré1,2, Alejandro Colman-Lerner3,4, Silvina Ponce Dawson5,6
1Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
Scientific Reports
|February 14, 2023
Summary
Cells use gene expression to identify environmental stimuli. Information theory reveals that transcription factor pulse frequency best distinguishes signals, especially with fast, high-threshold promoters, enabling selective cellular responses.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Systems Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cells respond to environmental cues through gene expression changes.
- Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by binding to DNA.
- TF activity is often modulated by pulses in nuclear concentration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how gene expression identifies extracellular stimuli and their intensity.
- To investigate TF pulse encoding via amplitude, duration, or frequency.
- To assess promoter parameter influence on information transmission.
Main Methods:
- Utilized information theory and a simple transcription model.
- Analyzed TF nuclear concentration pulses (activation state).
- Examined encoding in pulse amplitude, duration, and frequency.
Main Results:
- Identified three ranges of input strengths for all modulation modes.
- Maximum information transmission observed for fast, high-activation threshold promoters.
- Frequency modulation demonstrated highest sensitivity to promoter parameter changes, unlike duration or amplitude modulation.
Conclusions:
- TF pulse frequency is a highly selective encoding mode for signal identification.
- Specific promoter parameters allow for high information transmission in duration or amplitude modulation, but not frequency modulation.
- Frequency modulation enables selective promoter activation, distinguishing it from other modes for signal identification without additional mediators.
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