The transcription factor TATA-box binding protein (TBP) modulates gene expression in nuclei. This process requires the involvement of nuclear transport receptors, collectively termed karyopherin-β (Kap-β) in yeast, and various regulatory factors. Previous studies showed that Kap114p, a Kap-β that mediates nuclear import of yeast TBP (yTBP), modulates yTBP-dependent transcription. However, how Kap114p associates with yTBP to exert its multifaceted functions has remained elusive. The team led by Dr. Kuo-Chiang Hsia (Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica) and Dr. Wei-Yi Chen (Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) presents a cryo-EM structure of Kap114p, one of the Kap-βs, in complex with TATA box binding protein and reveals a non-canonical function beyond nuclear transport that modulates TBP-dependent transcription. This study has been published in in the journal Nature Communications.

Article link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41206-9