DNA-binding, multivalent interactions and phase separation in transcriptional activation

Transcription is an essential process in biology whereby gene-specific transcription factors target sites on DNA to recruit the basal transcription machinery that will produce messenger RNA (mRNA). It is a highly regulated multi-step process that involves many proteins and protein complexes. Transcription factors, the proteins that mark genes for activation, and other transcriptional regulators are highly enriched in low-complexity disordered regions, which are strongly linked to multivalent binding and phase separation. These disordered regions can form multivalent dynamic complexes that are essential for many aspects of transcription. Many of these proteins can phase separate in vitro and show evidence of phase separation in vivo. Whether these interactions represent biologically relevant phase separation in vivo is controversial. However, what these events do demonstrate is that many transcriptional proteins co-cluster with other factors in vivo, forming multivalent dynamic clusters that contribute to transcriptional events. We review some of these recently investigated events and consider how they contribute to our understanding of transcription

Influences on trust during collaborative forest governance: A case study from Haida Gwaii

Collaborative natural resource governance is increasingly relied upon to resolve conflicts, generate social and ecological benefits and increase implementation of decisions. Trust is widely recognized as critical to successful collaborative natural resource governance; however, the multi-dimensional nature of trust has been under-explored in this context and few studies specifically address collaborations involving Indigenous Peoples. Literature in this area emphasizes issues of power-sharing, participation and intercultural purpose and insights into how trust is created with these considerations in mind have the potential to improve processes and outcomes. This paper used a case study of collaborative forest governance on Haida Gwaii, an archipelago located off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, to identify linkages between power-sharing and individual, interpersonal and institutional influences on trust. Collaborative forest resource governance on Haida Gwaii formally began following signing of the Kunstâ aa guu-Kunstâ aayah Reconciliation Protocol in 2009 and has led the Haida to achieve several of their goals for resource management. The research linked theoretical and empirical literature on collaborative governance and trust with empirical evidence gathered from seventeen semi-structured interviews with current and former members of the Haida Gwaii Management Council and the Solutions Table and identified five individual influences, five interpersonal influences and four institutional influences on trust.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author