Investigating the mechanism of spatiotemporal control over genome activation by Zelda in an in vitro reconstituted system

Projektinformationen

ZELDA

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 798297

DOI

10.3030/798297

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 14 März 2018

Startdatum 1 Januar 2019

Enddatum 31 Dezember 2020

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten

€ 159 460,80

EU-Beitrag

€ 159 460,80

Koordiniert durch

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ZELDA (Investigating the mechanism of spatiotemporal control over genome activation by Zelda in an in vitro reconstituted system)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-01-01 bis 2020-12-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

How transcription factors (TFs) interact with DNA in order to regulate gene expression is a central question in cell biology. Most TFs contain large disordered regions, whose exact role in transcriptional regulation is not well understood. Recent work suggest that disordered regions of TFs could facilitate phase separation together with other factors critical for transcriptional initiation. In this project we investigated how a pioneering transcription factor Zelda, interacts with DNA using in vitro assays. We discovered that DNA triggers condensation of Zelda and that this behavior is distinct from classical liquid-liquid phase separation. Through experiments on optical tweezer combined with fluorescent microscopy we found that Zelda and other pioneer factor Klf4 undergo surface condensation. We also provided a theoretical framework for this phenomenon and showed how it leads to a controlled size of transcriptional condensates, consistent with the previously observed in vivo data.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

In the course of the projected I investigated interactions between a pioneer transcription factor Zelda, and nucleic acids in an in vitro reconstituted system in order to gain insights into molecular biology of zygotic genome activation. In the process, I successfully purified and characterized several variants of Zelda containing various fluorescent tags and mutations and performed numerous biochemical assays as well as experiments in flies. In the process, I have established collaborations that led to a novel description of a pre-wetting phenomenon on DNA by a pioneer transcription factor. Some of these results have been published on bioRxiv (https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.24.311712) and are currently under review in Nature Physics. The bulk of the work will be submitted for publication in 2021. The results will then be disseminated to the research audience as well as the broader public.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The field of biological phase separation has been rapidly expanding providing a new angle on many poorly understood phenomena in cell biology. Transcriptional regulation has been proposed to be regulated through phase separation driven partially by the disordered domains of transcription factors. However, the data published so far does not fully support the liquid-liquid phase separation model of transcriptional control. The surface condensation model which is the result of this project provides a new concept for how the transcriptional condensates form in cells. We believe that this will pave way to better understand the basic biophysical mechanism that govern gene regulation during development as well as in disease, This could ultimately lead to novel approaches for drug design.

ZELDA findings