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Results for “super-enhancer”

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PubMed2026

Mediator at the Helm: Coordinating transcription and biomolecular condensates in hematopoiesis.

Hematopoiesis relies on precisely coordinated transcriptional programs that balance stem cell self-renewal, lineage commitment, and terminal differentiation. Central to this regulation is the Mediator complex, a large multi-subunit transcriptional co-regulator that integrates signals from transcription factors and chromatin regulators to control RNA polymerase Ⅱ (Pol Ⅱ) activity. The dynamic and modular composition of Mediator enables context-dependent transcriptional outputs, while individual subunits can exert specialized regulatory functions during hematopoietic lineage specification, thereby contributing to cell-fate-specific transcriptional outputs. Recent advances further reveal that transcriptional regulation is shaped by the spatial organization of regulatory machinery with biomolecular condensates formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), particularly at super-enhancers. In this emerging framework, Mediator functions not only as a transcriptional integrator but also as a key coordinator of transcriptional machinery within condensates at cell-fate-related gene loci. In this chapter, we summarize how distinct Mediator subunits confer specific modes of transcriptional regulation and discuss how the interplay between Mediator and phase-separated condensates shapes transcriptional control during hematopoiesis. We highlight how specific subunits, including MED1 and MED26, participate in distinct regulatory modes in erythropoiesis, spanning super-enhancer-driven transcriptional activation, progenitor expansion, and condensate-associated mechanisms that influence Pol Ⅱ pausing and global transcription repression during terminal differentiation. Together, these findings support a model in which Mediator integrates transcriptional regulation with nuclear organization through condensate-mediated mechanisms, providing a conceptual framework for understanding hematopoietic cell fate decisions and transcriptional dysregulation in hematological diseases.

Hematopoiesis↗

PubMed2026

The genomic alchemist's arsenal: A comprehensive review of gene recruitment, regulatory rewiring, and the evolutionary arms race in snake envenomation.

Snake venom represents a striking example of evolutionary innovation, in which ancestral physiological gene networks have been co-opted into potent biochemical weapons. Advances in multi-omics, single-cell genomics, and structural bioinformatics have catalyzed a conceptual shift from descriptive toxin cataloging to a systems-level understanding of venom evolution, regulation, and function. This Review integrates genomic, cellular, and structural perspectives to delineate the molecular architecture underpinning venom diversification and target-site co-evolution. Emphasis is placed on regulatory mechanisms driving rapid expression plasticity, including super-enhancer activity, transposable element insertion, spatial heterogeneity within the venom gland, and non-coding RNA-mediated modulation. At the protein level, the review examines how hypervariable toxins engage in structural arms races with prey targets, and how multi-toxin complex formation, functional synergy, and molecular dynamics simulations inform models of lethality and resistance. A comparative framework is provided by contrasting high-potency predatory snake venoms with low-potency defensive venoms of hymenopterans such as bees and wasps, revealing how ecological selective pressures shape toxin potency, composition, and target specificity across taxa. Finally, current translational strategies are evaluated, with a focus on the relative merits of recombinant human monoclonal antibodies versus catalytic-site small-molecule inhibitors as deployable interventions for snakebite. By synthesizing evolutionary genomics, structural biology, comparative toxinology, and synthetic antivenomics, this Review outlines a predictive framework for anticipating venom evolutionary trajectories and for designing broad-spectrum, next-generation therapeutics.

Animals↗

PubMed2021

OCT2 pre-positioning facilitates cell fate transition and chromatin architecture changes in humoral immunity.

During the germinal center (GC) reaction, B cells undergo profound transcriptional, epigenetic and genomic architectural changes. How such changes are established remains unknown. Mapping chromatin accessibility during the humoral immune response, we show that OCT2 was the dominant transcription factor linked to differential accessibility of GC regulatory elements. Silent chromatin regions destined to become GC-specific super-enhancers (SEs) contained pre-positioned OCT2-binding sites in naive B cells (NBs). These preloaded SE 'seeds' featured spatial clustering of regulatory elements enriched in OCT2 DNA-binding motifs that became heavily loaded with OCT2 and its GC-specific coactivator OCAB in GC B cells (GCBs). SEs with high abundance of pre-positioned OCT2 binding preferentially formed long-range chromatin contacts in GCs, to support expression of GC-specifying factors. Gain in accessibility and architectural interactivity of these regions were dependent on recruitment of OCAB. Pre-positioning key regulators at SEs may represent a broadly used strategy for facilitating rapid cell fate transitions.

Animals↗

PubMed2025

Foxi2 and Sox3 are master regulators controlling ectoderm germ layer specification.

In vertebrates, germ layer specification represents a critical transition where pluripotent cells acquire lineage-specific identities. We identify the maternal transcription factors Foxi2 and Sox3 to be pivotal master regulators of ectodermal germ layer specification in Xenopus. Ectopic co-expression of Foxi2 and Sox3 in prospective endodermal tissue induces the expression of ectodermal markers while suppressing mesendodermal markers. Transcriptomics analyses reveal that Foxi2 and Sox3 jointly and independently regulate hundreds of ectodermal target genes. During early cleavage stages, Foxi2 and Sox3 pre-bind to key cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), marking sites that later recruit Ep300 and facilitate H3K27ac deposition, thereby shaping the epigenetic landscape of the ectodermal genome. These CRMs are highly enriched within ectoderm-specific super-enhancers (SEs). Our findings highlight the pivotal role of ectodermal SE-associated CRMs in precise and robust ectodermal gene activation, establishing Foxi2 and Sox3 as central architects of ectodermal lineage specification.

Ep300↗

PubMed2026

CTCF aligns single-cell TAD-like domain boundaries and stabilizes long-range active chromatin clusters.

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a key architectural protein in the three-dimensional (3D) genome, yet how its loss reshapes chromatin structure and transcription at single-cell resolution remains unclear. Using HiRES, which jointly profiles chromatin contacts and RNA from the same nucleus, we examined genome-wide effects of CTCF depletion. Topologically associating domain (TAD)-like domains (TLDs) across single cells remained largely unchanged in number and size after CTCF loss, but their boundaries became more variably positioned, and pseudobulk analyses revealed reduced interactions within A compartments. We also developed SALTAFinder to identify Spatially Aggregated Long-distance TLD Assemblies (SALTAs), clusters of TLDs occupying shared 3D space within single cells. A subset of SALTAs is enriched for highly expressed genes and super-enhancers and declines upon CTCF depletion. This structural reorganization coincided with a global reduction in per-cell RNA output, as indicated by HiRES and orthogonal measurements. Together, these findings suggest that CTCF contributes to the coordinated regulation of chromatin organization and transcriptional capacity and is associated with stabilization of long-range active chromatin clusters.

CCCTC-Binding Factor↗

PubMed2025

Foxi2 and Sox3 are master transcription regulators that control ectoderm germ layer specification in Xenopus.

Germ layer specification represents a critical transition where pluripotent cells acquire lineage-specific identities. We identify the maternal transcription factors Foxi2 and Sox3 to be pivotal master regulators of ectodermal germ layer specification in Xenopus. Ectopic co-expression of Foxi2 and Sox3 in prospective endodermal tissue induces the expression of ectodermal markers while suppressing mesendodermal markers. Transcriptomic analyses reveal that Foxi2 and Sox3 jointly and independently regulate hundreds of ectodermal target genes. During early cleavage stages, Foxi2 and Sox3 pre-bind to key cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), marking sites that later recruit Ep300 and facilitate H3K27ac deposition, thereby shaping the epigenetic landscape of the ectodermal genome. These CRMs are highly enriched within ectoderm-specific super-enhancers (SEs). Our findings highlight the pivotal role of ectodermal SE-associated CRMs in precise and robust ectodermal gene activation, establishing Foxi2 and Sox3 as central architects of ectodermal lineage specification.

Animals↗