Rational design, selection and specificity of artificial transcription factors (ATFs): The influence of chromatin in target gene regulation

Artificial Transcription Factors (ATFs) are engineered DNA-binding proteins designed to bind specific sequences of DNA. ATFs made of Zinc Finger (ZF) domains have been developed to regulate specific genes and phenotypes both in cells and whole organisms. Recently, an emerging application of engineered DNA-binding domains include the specific editing of the genome, the ability to specifically cut, recombine, modify DNA and image protein-nucleic acid interactions in living cells. In this review we will summarize the techniques used for the rational design, screening and functional selection of ZF proteins in mammalian cell systems and their applications in areas of biotechnology, functional genomics and molecular therapeutics. The in vivo specificity of the engineered ATFs will be discussed, with particular emphasis on epigenetic modifications influencing ATF-DNA interactions.