DNA-guided transcription factor cooperativity shapes face and limb mesenchyme. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38262408/)

These scientists wanted to understand how different cells in our body can have different jobs, even though they have the same instructions in their DNA. They focused on a specific type of proteins called transcription factors (TFs) that help control which genes are turned on or off in a cell.

They found that these TFs can work together in a special way called cooperativity. To study this, the scientists looked at a long piece of DNA called "Coordinator." This DNA had specific instructions that many TFs could bind to. Two types of TFs, called bHLH and HD, were particularly interested in Coordinator.

They discovered that a bHLH TF called TWIST1 needed the help of the HD TFs to bind to Coordinator. Once TWIST1 was bound, the HD TFs helped to keep it in place and prevented it from going to other places in the DNA.

This cooperation between TWIST1 and the HD TFs was important for controlling the activity of certain genes. These genes are responsible for giving cells their specific identities and positions in the face and limbs during development. By working together, TWIST1 and the HD TFs helped shape the way our faces look and even played a role in how faces have evolved over time.

So, in summary, these scientists found that some proteins in our body can work together to control which genes are turned on or off. They discovered that a specific combination of proteins, TWIST1 and the HD TFs, can work together to shape our facial features and help cells know where they should be in our body.

Kim S., Morgunova E., Naqvi S., Goovaerts S., Bader M., Koska M., Popov A., Luong C., Pogson A., Swigut T., Claes P., Taipale J., Wysocka J. DNA-guided transcription factor cooperativity shapes face and limb mesenchyme. Cell. 2024 Feb 1;187(3):692-711.e26. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.032. Epub 2024 Jan 22.