James M. McGehee

High levels of Dorsal transcription factor downregulate, not promote, snail expression by regulating enhancer action

The paper shows that high Dorsal levels suppress snail expression by limiting enhancer activity, while low levels promote it, through dynamic regulation of enhancer interactions.

Optogenetic manipulation of nuclear Dorsal reveals temporal requirements and consequences for transcription

The paper uses optogenetics to manipulate Dorsal levels in Drosophila embryos, revealing a critical temporal window for its function in patterning and transcriptional regulation.

Target gene responses differ when transcription factor levels are acutely decreased by nuclear export versus degradation

This study compares the effects of acute Dorsal level reduction via nuclear export versus degradation on target gene expression in Drosophila embryos.

Diffusion and distal linkages govern interchromosomal dynamics during meiotic prophase

The paper uses live imaging and modeling to show that random diffusion and a small number of linkages suffice for homolog pairing during meiosis in budding yeast.