SAYP is a dual-function transcription coactivator of RNA polymerase II. It is a metazoan-specific factor with regulated expression that is apparently involved in signaling pathways controlling normal development. In Drosophila, SAYP is maternally loaded into the embryo, participates in cell cycle synchronization in early syncytial embryos, and is indispensible for early embryogenesis. SAYP is abundant in many embryonic tissues and imaginal discs in larvae and is crucial for oogenesis in adults. PHF10 is a mammalian homologue of SAYP whose expression is confined to certain tissues in adults. The molecular mechanism of the SAYP function is related to the conserved domain SAY, which assembles a nuclear supercomplex BTFly consisting of Brahma and TFIID coactivators. We suggest that nuclear supercomplexes may be important means of gene-specific regulation of transcription during development.