On the multiple roads to cell fate decisions: Integrating transcription factors into RNA-regulatory networks

While the current view states that Transcription Factors (TFs) act on DNA regulatory elements to deploy precise gene programs, an emerging concept proposes that TFs also bind RNA and regulate splicing to promote molecular and cellular diversity. Yet, how the RNA regulatory functions of TFs contribute to their key role in cell fates remains puzzling. From in vitro interaction to tissue development, the seminar will survey some of our latest findings focusing on the splicing function and RNA-binding ability of the homeodomain TFs, using Drosophila muscle development as a paradigm of cell fate decisions.