{
  "abstract": "The evolution of transcription factor (TF) DNA-binding specificity is a major driver of gene regulatory innovation. Unlike most TFs, which diversify through gene duplication and neofunctionalization, the plant-specific LEAFY (LFY) TF evolved novel binding specificities without extensive duplication. Here, we combine experimental structural determination and biochemical assays to reveal how LFY's dimerization and DNA-binding preferences shifted during the water-to-land transition. We present crystal structures of the LFY DNA-binding domain (DBD) from the hornwort Nothoceros aenigmaticus and the alga Interfilum paradoxum bound to DNA, demonstrating two distinct dimerization mechanisms: one mediated by direct protein-protein interactions and another driven by DNA-mediated cooperativity. In the ancestral state, LFY likely bound DNA as a dimer through DNA-mediated cooperativity, with protein-protein dimerization emerging later, enforcing new DNA-binding preferences. Our findings support a revised evolutionary scenario for LFY, highlighting the dynamic interplay between protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions as key drivers of TF binding specificity. This work deepens our understanding of how structural adaptations in TFs underpin evolutionary transitions in gene regulation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Leonie Verhage"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emmanuel Thévenon"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hicham Chahtane"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alice Jegou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Loïc Grandvuillemin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Max H Nanao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Renaud Dumas"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chloe Zubieta"
    },
    {
      "name": "François Parcy"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8bb44vzw5wyb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.molp.2026.09.009",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "b8bb44vzw5wyb",
  "issns": [
    "1674-2052",
    "1752-9867"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05805065v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdv"
    ],
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      "hal",
      "1.sdv.bbm"
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    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant Molecular Biology Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214118263",
  "pdf_url": "https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05805065/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-23",
  "publisher": "Cell Press/Oxford UP",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8bb44vzw5wyb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05805065",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05805065v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "hal:2.sdv.bbm.gtp",
      "subfield": "proteomics-metabolomics"
    },
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "hal:2.sdv.bbm.bs",
      "subfield": "structural-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:1.sdv.bv",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Structural evolution of LEAFY reveals DNA-mediated cooperativity and dimerization shifts at the water-to-land transition",
  "title_text": "Structural evolution of LEAFY reveals DNA-mediated cooperativity and dimerization shifts at the water-to-land transition",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8bb44vzw5wyb",
  "venue": "Molecular Plant",
  "versions": []
}