"Hit‐and‐run": Transcription factors get caught in the act. (21st May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Charoensawan, Varodom; Martinho, Claudia; Wigge, Philip A.
• Is Part Of: BioEssays. Volume 37:Number 7(2015:Jul.)
• Page Start: 748
• Page End: 754
• Publication Date: 2015-05-21
• Subjects: Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Cytology -- Periodicals; Developmental biology -- Periodicals; 572.8
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.201400186
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-9247

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="bies201400186-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <p>A key challenge for understanding transcriptional regulation is being able to measure transcription factor (TF)‐DNA binding events with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution; that is, when and where TFs occupy their cognate sites. A recent study by Para et al. has highlighted the dynamics underlying the activation of gene expression by a master regulator TF. This study provides concrete evidence for a long‐standing hypothesis in biology, the "hit‐and‐run" mechanism, which was first proposed decades ago. That is, gene expression is dynamically controlled by a TF that transiently binds and activates a target gene, which might stay in a transcriptionally active state after the initial binding event has ended. Importantly, the experimental procedure introduced, TARGET, provides a useful way for identifying multiple target genes transiently bound by their regulators, which can be used in conjunction with other well‐established methods to improve our understanding of transcriptional regulatory dynamics.</p> </sec> </abstract>