A zinc finger transcription factor enables social behaviors while controlling transposable elements and immune response in prefrontal cortex.

ABSTRACT: The neurobiological origins of social behaviors are incompletely understood. Here we utilized synthetic biology approaches to reprogram the function of ZFP189, a transcription factor whose expression and function in rodent prefrontal cortex was previously demonstrated to be protective against stress-induced social deficits. We created novel synthetic ZFP189 transcription factors including ZFP189^VPR, which activates the transcription of target genes and therefore exerts opposite functional control from the endogenous, transcriptionally repressive ZFP189^WT. Following viral delivery of these synthetic ZFP189 transcription factors to mouse prefrontal cortex, we observe that ZFP189-mediated transcriptional control promotes mature dendritic spine morphology on transduced py

SUBMITTER: Truby NL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10810849 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature