Long-term association of a transcription factor with its chromatin binding site can stabilize gene expression and cell fate commitment
J. B. Gurdon, Khayam Javed, Munender Vodnala, Nigel Garrett
Abstract
Significance Some kinds of transcription factor proteins are very important in initiating and guiding cell fate differentiation. Overexpression of these factors can force many other kinds of cells to become muscle or nerve. Examples are MyoD for muscle and Ascl1 for nerve. It is not known how long such a factor must remain bound to its binding site for it to have its function; this could be seconds, minutes, hours, or days. We have developed a procedure to determine the required residence time for the Ascl1 nerve factor to have its function. This factor remains closely associated with its chromatin binding site for hours or days. This may be a general characteristic of such factors in nondividing (adult) cells.