Homeodomain complex formation and biomolecular condensates in Hox gene regulation.

Hox genes are a family of homeodomain transcription factors that regulate specialized morphological structures along the anterior-posterior axis of metazoans. Over the past few decades, researchers have focused on defining how Hox factors with similar in vitro DNA binding activities achieve sufficient target specificity to regulate distinct cell fates in vivo. In this review, we highlight how protein interactions with other transcription factors, many of which are also homeodomain proteins, result in the formation of transcription factor complexes with enhanced DNA binding specificity.

Olig2 defines a subset of neural stem cells that produce specific olfactory bulb interneuron subtypes in the subventricular zone of adult mice.

Distinct neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in different regions of the subventricular zone (SVZ) and generate multiple olfactory bulb (OB) interneuron subtypes in the adult brain. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such NSC heterogeneity remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Olig2 defines a subset of NSCs in the early postnatal and adult SVZ.

Mechanisms of stearoyl CoA desaturase inhibitor sensitivity and acquired resistance in cancer.

The lipogenic enzyme stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) plays a key role in tumor lipid metabolism and membrane architecture. SCD is often up-regulated and a therapeutic target in cancer. Here, we report the unexpected finding that median expression of SCD is low in glioblastoma relative to normal brain due to hypermethylation and unintentional monoallelic co-deletion with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in a subset of patients.