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Updated: Jun 30, 2025

Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of Disordered Oncogenic Transcription Factors Using Transcriptomic Analysis
Published on: June 27, 2020
Transcription factor clusters as information transfer agents
Rahul Munshi1,2, Jia Ling2, Sergey Ryabichko2
1Joseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Abstract:
Deciphering how genes interpret information from transcription factor (TFs) concentrations within the cell nucleus remains a fundamental question in gene regulation. Recent advancements have revealed the heterogeneous distribution of TF molecules, posing challenges to precisely decoding concentration signals. Using high-resolution single-cell imaging of the fluorescently tagged TF Bicoid in living Drosophila embryos, we show that Bicoid accumulation in submicron clusters preserves the spatial information of the maternal Bicoid gradient. These clusters provide precise spatial cues through intensity, size, and frequency. We further discover that gene targets of Bicoid, such as Hunchback and Eve, colocalize with these clusters in an enhancer binding affinity-dependent manner. Our modeling suggests that clustering offers a faster sensing mechanism for global nuclear concentrations than freely diffusing TF molecules detected by simple enhancers.
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