Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41372172›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Intrinsically disordered regions facilitate target search to drive promoter selectivity by a yeast transcription factor.

Nir Strugo, Carmit Burstein, Sk Saddam Hossain, Noam Nago, Hadeel Khamis, Ariel Kaplan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Nir StrugoFaculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-6706-5197
Carmit BursteinFaculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Sk Saddam HossainDepartment of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5740-3703
Noam NagoFaculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-0942-7299
Hadeel KhamisFaculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Ariel KaplanFaculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. akaplanz@technion.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9731-6962

Funding

Israel Science Foundation (ISF) 255/25Israel Science Foundation (ISF) 937/20
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcription factors regulate gene expression by binding specific DNA motifs, yet only a fraction of putative sites is occupied in vivo. Intrinsically disordered regions have emerged as key contributors to promoter selectivity, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we use single-molecule optical tweezers to dissect how disordered regions influence DNA binding by Msn2, a yeast stress-response regulator. We show that these regions power a search mechanism, facilitating initial non-specific association with DNA and promoting one-dimensional scanning toward target motifs, supported by charge-mediated interactions. Remarkably, this mechanism displays sequence sensitivity, with promoter-derived sequences enhancing both initial binding and scanning rates, demonstrating that Msn2-DNA interactions alone are sufficient to confer promoter selectivity in the absence of chromatin or cofactors. Our findings provide direct mechanistic evidence for how intrinsically disordered regions tune transcription factor search dynamics for Msn2 and expand sequence recognition beyond canonical motifs, supporting promoter selectivity in complex genomic contexts.

Indexed as

DNA-Binding ProteinsIntrinsically Disordered ProteinsPromoter Regions, GeneticSaccharomyces cerevisiaeSaccharomyces cerevisiae ProteinsTranscription FactorsBinding SitesDNA, FungalGene Expression Regulation, FungalOptical TweezersProtein BindingDNA-Binding ProteinsDNA, FungalIntrinsically Disordered ProteinsMSN2 protein, S cerevisiaeSaccharomyces cerevisiae ProteinsTranscription Factors

Identifiers

PMID41372172
PMCPMC12804832

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.