Power-law behavior of transcription factor dynamics at the single-molecule level implies a continuum affinity model.

ABSTRACT: Single-molecule tracking (SMT) allows the study of transcription factor (TF) dynamics in the nucleus, giving important information regarding the diffusion and binding behavior of these proteins in the nuclear environment. Dwell time distributions obtained by SMT for most TFs appear to follow bi-exponential behavior. This has been ascribed to two discrete populations of TFs-one non-specifically bound to chromatin and another specifically bound to target sites, as implied by decades of biochemical studies. However, emerging studies suggest alternate models for dwell-time distributions, indicating the existence of more than two populations of TFs (multi-exponential distribution), or even the absence of discrete states altogether (power-law distribution). Here, we present an analytical pipelin

SUBMITTER: Garcia DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8266587 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature