
==== Front
ArXiv
ArXiv
arxiv
ArXiv
2331-8422
Cornell University

arXiv:2403.02943v2
2403.02943
2
preprint
Article
Transcription factor clusters as information transfer agents
Munshi Rahul
Ling Jia
Ryabichko Sergey
Wieschaus Eric F
Gregor Thomas
8 8 2024
arXiv:2403.02943v25 3 2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.
http://arxiv.org/abs/2403.02943v2
nihpp-2403.02943v2.pdf
Deciphering how genes interpret information from the concentration of transcription factors (TFs) within the cell nucleus remains a fundamental question in gene regulation. Recent advancements have unveiled the heterogeneous distribution of TF molecules in the nucleus, posing challenges to the precise decoding of concentration signals. To explore this phenomenon, we employ high-resolution single-cell imaging of a fluorescently tagged TF protein, Bicoid, in living fly embryos. We show that accumulation of Bicoid in submicron clusters preserves the spatial information of the maternal Bicoid gradient, and that cluster intensity, size, and frequency offer remarkably precise spatial cues. We further discover that various known gene targets of Bicoid activation colocalize with clusters and that for the target gene Hunchback, this colocalization is dependent on its enhancer binding affinity. Modeling information transfer through these clusters suggests that clustering offers a more rapid sensing mechanism for global nuclear concentrations than freely diffusing TF molecules detected by simple enhancers.

36 pages, 22 figures including supplements
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pmc
