Article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151021135929.htm
This article introduced the idea of “pulsing” for controlling gene expression rhythmically. The idea is that cells activate and deactivate transcription factors causing protein interactions to go in and out of sync and gene expression to go up and down. This could underlie core cell processes including responses to stress. To test this, the researchers set up time-lapse movies to track two pulsing proteins (Msn2 and Mig1) and a target gene in yeast cells. When the yeast cells were stressed, Msn2 and Mig1 changed their pulse timing, with either more or less overlap between pulses, depending on the stimulus. As a result of the altered rhythms, the cells were able to produce more proteins that helped the yeast cope with stressful situations. While combinatorial regulation accounts for parts of gene regulation, this new study sheds light on the relative timing of pulsing transcription factors may be equally important in regulating cell functions and responses. This new mode of regulation may be critical in understanding the combinatorial regulation of complex genetic networks governing various cell processes. This reminds me of something I learned in BIOL 455 this semester, when we talked about protein and transcription activation governing circadian rhythms by endogenous cell oscillators. The oscillators also function through rhythmic pulses that either inhibit or activate certain proteins, which ultimately determine and regulate the sleep- wake cycle. I think future research should explore the effects of time-based regulation on cellular processes and gene regulation as it could provide important insight to how our biological systems interact with one another to regulate complex interacting networks.