Decoding the molecular logic of rapidly evolving ZAD zinc finger proteins in Drosophila - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #transcription factors
- #ZAD-ZnFs
- #Drosophila
- ZAD zinc finger proteins (ZAD-ZnFs) are the most abundant class of transcription factors in insects, but their diversity and functions are not well understood.
- A CRISPR-based protein-tagging approach was developed to study nuclear localization and genome-wide binding profiles of ZAD-ZnFs in Drosophila embryos.
- Some ZAD-ZnFs form nuclear condensates via N-terminal ZAD dimerization, and disrupting this condensation leads to misregulation and lethality.
- ZAD-ZnFs colocalize with core insulator proteins like CCCTC-binding factor and Centrosomal protein 190 kD to regulate topological boundaries.
- The study suggests ZAD-ZnFs evolved from an ancestral role as insulator-binding proteins.