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Synthetic biologics provide a path to target bHLH transcription factors

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The ability to target the majority of human transcription factors remains an as yet unachieved goal in chemical biology and medicine. We developed a modular, synthetic transcriptional repressor platform that recapitulates the DNA-binding properties of native basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domains and can block the DNA-binding functions of an important oncogenic transcription factor target, MYC.

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Fig. 1: Modular design and synthesis of synthetic transcriptional repressors.

References

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This is a summary of: Speltz, T. E. et al. Targeting MYC with modular synthetic transcriptional repressors derived from bHLH DNA-binding domains. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01504-x (2022).

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Synthetic biologics provide a path to target bHLH transcription factors. Nat Biotechnol 41, 480–481 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01509-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01509-6

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