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Schifino, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Schifino, G..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2026

DNA supercoiling modulates bZIP transcription factor/DNA interaction

DNA topology is a key regulator of chromatin structure and transcription, yet its direct role in transcription factor recognition remains unclear. Here, we investigate how distinct DNA topological states modulate binding of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae bZIP transcription factor GCN4 using topologically defined plasmids. By combining, complementary biochemical approaches, including Bio-Layer Interferometry applied here for the first time to topology-dependent protein-DNA interactions, we show that DNA supercoiling directly reshapes GCN4-DNA recognition. Positively supercoiled DNA forms more stable and persistent complexes, whereas negatively supercoiled DNA retains greater conformational heterogeneity. To interpret these effects, we performed multiscale molecular simulations. Coarse-grained simulations of plasmids recapitulate the global topology-dependent trends observed experimentally, while matched minicircle models reproduce the same behaviour at the local scale. In strong agreement with experimental data, simulations reveal that DNA topology modulates the conformational ensemble of the GCN4 basic region. Overall, positively supercoiled DNA promotes a more ordered binding mode and localized protein distribution, whereas negatively supercoiled DNA supports increased structural plasticity. These findings identify DNA topology as an active determinant of transcription factor recognition and provide a multiscale framework linking global DNA mechanics to local protein-DNA interactions. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=113 SRC="FIGDIR/small/722604v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (51K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18f8ba9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@11a395dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ac093borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@923212_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biochemistry↗
bioRxiv2026

DNA binding drives phase separation of the Gcn4 bZIP domain and reveals its conformational ensemble in the diluted and condensate phases

Liquid-liquid phase separation is widely invoked in transcriptional regulation, yet prevailing models attribute condensate formation primarily to intrinsically disordered activation domains rather than structured DNA-binding motifs. Here, we overturn this view by demonstrating that the isolated basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain of the yeast transcription factor Gcn4 undergoes robust DNA-induced phase separation in the complete absence of its activation domain. Using small-angle X-ray scattering in combination with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and ensemble optimization, we directly resolve the conformational landscape of the Gcn4 bZIP-DNA complex across coexisting dilute and condensed phases. Beyond the canonical uninterrupted helical conformation captured in crystal structures, we identify a previously unrecognized minor population featuring a pronounced helical kink at the basic region-leucine zipper junction. These findings establish DNA binding as a sufficient physical driver of bZIP phase separation and demonstrate that small-angle scattering can quantitatively interrogate protein conformational ensembles within biomolecular condensates, opening new avenues for the structural chemistry of phase-separated systems.

biophysics↗