To induce cell type-specific forms of gene regulation, pioneer factors open tightly packed, inaccessible chromatin sites, enabling the molecular machinery to act on functionally significant information encoded in DNA. While previous studies of pioneer factors have revealed their functions in transcriptional regulation, pioneer factors that open chromatin for other physiological events remain undetermined. In this issue of Genes & Development, Spruce and colleagues (pp. 398-412) report the functional significance of a "pioneer complex" in mouse meiotic recombination. This complex, comprised of the zinc finger DNA-binding protein PRDM9 and the SNF2 family chromatin remodeler HELLS, exposes nucleosomal DNA to designate the sites of DNA double-strand breaks that initiate meiotic recombination. Both HELLS and PRDM9 are required for the determination of these recombination hot spots. Through the identification of a pioneer complex for meiotic recombination, this study broadens the conceptual scope of pioneer factors, indicating their functional significance in biological processes beyond transcriptional regulation.

中文翻译：

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开创性的减数分裂重组。

为了诱导特定类型的细胞基因调控，先驱因子打开了紧密堆积，难以接近的染色质位点，从而使分子机制能够对DNA编码的功能重要信息起作用。尽管先前对先驱因子的研究已经揭示了它们在转录调控中的功能，但尚未确定打开染色质用于其他生理事件的先驱因子。在本期《基因与发育》中，Spruce及其同事（第398-412页）报告了“先锋复合体”在小鼠减数分裂重组中的功能意义。该复合物由锌指DNA结合蛋白PRDM9和SNF2家族染色质重塑剂HELLS组成，暴露了核小体DNA，以指定启动减数分裂重组的DNA双链断裂位点。HELLS和PRDM9都是确定这些重组热点所必需的。通过鉴定减数分裂重组的先驱复合物，本研究拓宽了先驱因子的概念范围，表明了它们在转录调控以外的生物学过程中的功能意义。