Publications by authors named "Ahmad Alsawadi"
Adult stem cells must continuously fine-tune their behavior to regenerate damaged organs and avoid tumors. While several signaling pathways are well known to regulate somatic stem cells, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate a cell-intrinsic role for the OvoL family transcription factor, Shavenbaby (Svb), in balancing self-renewal and differentiation of Drosophila intestinal stem cells.
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- Hox transcription factors play a crucial role in determining the anatomical identity in animals, but their mechanism of specificity is complex due to their ability to bind similar DNA sequences with high affinity.
- The study found that the Hox protein Ultrabithorax (Ubx), together with its cofactor Extradenticle (Exd), binds to clusters of low affinity DNA sites in the enhancers of the shavenbaby gene in Drosophila, which is essential for specific expression in living embryos.
- Although individual Ubx binding sites are not conserved through evolution, the overall structure of enhancers that consist of multiple low affinity sites is preserved, indicating that natural selection favors this configuration to ensure both specificity and robust gene expression.