Aberrant phase separation of transcription factors in human developmental disorders
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ABSTRACT: Components of the transcription machinery can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation, but the functional importance of phase-separated condensates in transcriptional control is not well understood. Here we report that disease-causing mutations in several transcription factors (TFs) alter the phase separation capacity of those TFs. We first demonstrate that the Hoxd13 TF, and its intrinsically disordered N-terminus form phase-separated condensates. Expansions of a polyalanine repeat, which cause hereditary synpolydactyly in humans, facilitate phase separation of Hoxd13, and alter the transcriptional program of several cell types in a cell-specific manner in vivo. Disease-associated expansions of aminoacid repeats in intrinsically disordered regions of other TFs were similarly found to alter phase separation. These results suggest that aberrant phase separation of transcriptional regulators may underlie a spectrum of human pathologies. The paper is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.018
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus Gallus gallus
PROVIDER: GSE128818 | GEO | 2020/05/07
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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