Coactivator condensation drives cardiovascular cell lineage specification

During development, cells make switch-like decisions to activate new gene programs specifying cell lineage. The mechanisms underlying these decisive choices remain unclear. Here, we show that the cardiovascular transcriptional coactivator myocardin (MYOCD) activates cell identity genes by concentration-dependent and switch-like formation of transcriptional condensates. MYOCD forms such condensates and activates cell identity genes at critical concentration thresholds achieved during smooth muscle cell and cardiomyocyte differentiation. The carboxyl-terminal disordered region of MYOCD is necessary and sufficient for condensate formation. Disrupting this region's ability to form condensates disrupts gene activation and smooth muscle cell reprogramming. Rescuing condensate formation by replacing this region with disordered regions from functionally unrelated proteins rescues gene activation and smooth muscle cell reprogramming. Our findings demonstrate that MYOCD condensate formation is required for gene activation during cardiovascular differentiation. We propose that the formation of transcriptional condensates at critical concentrations of cell type-specific regulators provides a molecular switch underlying the activation of key cell identity genes during development.

Functional partitioning of transcriptional regulators by patterned charge blocks

Components of transcriptional machinery are selectively partitioned into specific condensates, often mediated by protein disorder, yet we know little about how this specificity is achieved. Here, we show that condensates composed of the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of MED1 selectively partition RNA polymerase II together with its positive allosteric regulators while excluding negative regulators. This selective compartmentalization is sufficient to activate transcription and is required for gene activation during a cell-state transition. The IDRs of partitioned proteins are necessary and sufficient for selective compartmentalization and require alternating blocks of charged amino acids. Disrupting this charge pattern prevents partitioning, whereas adding the pattern to proteins promotes partitioning with functional consequences for gene activation. IDRs with similar patterned charge blocks show similar partitioning and function. These findings demonstrate that disorder-mediated interactions can selectively compartmentalize specific functionally related proteins from a complex mixture of biomolecules, leading to regulation of a biochemical pathway.

Lesiones del himen en la determinación médico legal de la integridad sexual

Objetivo: Determinar las lesiones himeneales y sus variantes morfológicas. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo prospectivo de julio a agosto del 2005. Resultados: Hubo 284 exámenes por denuncias de VS; 80,3% correspondió a niños y adolescentes. Los principales hallazgos fueron himen dilatable (36,9%), himen íntegro (34,8%), desgarros antiguos (13.6%), himen dilatable con lesiones recientes (4,5%), desgarros recientes (1,5%), entre otros. Conclusiones: El himen muy elástico que presenta un orificio amplio, crea dificultad en el reconocimiento de lesiones recientes. Determinar un himen ‘complaciente’ o ‘dilatable’ no niega categóricamente la introducción del pene u otro miembro del cuerpo u objeto. La Medicina Legal enseña las variantes himeneales y sus principales lesiones para que todo examinador tenga el suficiente criterio técnico y científico al momento de acreditar sus hallazgos ante una autoridad judicial o fiscal.