Identifying membrane-bound transcriptional regulatory proteins from rare but evolutionarily conserved domain combinations.

ABSTRACT: Transcriptional regulatory proteins, including transcription factors (TFs) and chromatin modifiers, must act inside cell nuclei, but membrane-bound transcription factors (MBTFs) are first anchored in membranes before nuclear translocation. Known MBTFs are vital for processes from myelin expression (MYRF) to cholesterol homeostasis (SREBP), yet their overall diversity remains uncharted. We hypothesized that additional membrane-bound transcriptional regulators (MBTRs) might exist, so we developed a bioinformatics screen to prioritize membrane proteins that are likely to regulate transcription. Our approach leverages domain composition by positing that surprising domain combinations suggest novel biological functions. We searched for rare but evolutionarily conserved pairings of transmembrane

SUBMITTER: Lee M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12724719 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature