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No existing method to characterize transcription factor (TF) binding to DNA allows genome-wide measurement of all TF-binding activity in cells. Here we present a massively parallel protein activity assay, active TF identification (ATI), that measures the DNA-binding activity of all TFs in cell or tissue extracts. ATI is based on electrophoretic separation of protein-bound DNA sequences from a highly complex DNA library and subsequent mass-spectrometric identification of the DNA-bound proteins. We applied ATI to four mouse tissues and mouse embryonic stem cells and found that, in a given tissue or cell type, a small set of TFs, which bound to only ∼10 distinct motifs, displayed strong DNA-binding activity. Some of these TFs were found in all cell types, whereas others were specific TFs known to determine cell fate in the analyzed tissue or cell type. We also show that a small number of TFs determined the accessible chromatin landscape of a cell, suggesting that gene regulatory logic may be simpler than previously appreciated.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4138 | DOI Listing |
JCI Insight
September 2025
Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America.
Cardiac hypertrophy is a common adaptation to cardiovascular stress and often a prelude to heart failure. We examined how S-palmitoylation of the small GTPase, Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), impacts cardiomyocyte stress signaling. Mutation of the cysteine-178 palmitoylation site impaired activation of Rac1 when overexpressed in cardiomyocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Pharm
September 2025
Department of Patho-Functional Bioanalysis, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is an attractive biomarker for tumor-targeting radioligands. While [Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 is a promising FAP-targeting radioligand for cancer diagnosis, clinical application of [Lu]Lu-FAPI-46 for targeted radionuclide therapy is limited due to its insufficient tumor retention. Albumin binder (ALB) including 4-(-iodophenyl)butyric acid is widely utilized to improve tumor accumulation of radioligands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan.
All organisms are exposed to various stressors, which can sometimes lead to organismal death, depending on their intensity. While stress-induced organismal death has been observed in many species, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of stress-induced organismal death in the fruit fly .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240.
Major depressive disorder affects millions worldwide, yet current treatments require prolonged administration. In contrast, ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects by blocking spontaneous N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor signaling, which lifts the suppression of protein synthesis and triggers homeostatic synaptic plasticity. Here, we identify a parallel signaling pathway involving metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) that promotes rapid antidepressant-like effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India.
Agonist-induced interaction of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with β-arrestins (βarrs) is a critical mechanism that regulates the spatiotemporal pattern of receptor localization and signaling. While the underlying mechanism governing GPCR-βarr interaction is primarily conserved and involves receptor activation and phosphorylation, there are several examples of receptor-specific fine-tuning of βarr-mediated functional outcomes. Considering the key contribution of conformational plasticity of βarrs in driving receptor-specific functional responses, it is important to develop novel sensors capable of reporting distinct βarr conformations in cellular context.
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