Developmental events are executed with delicate precision and are strictly in tune with one another. Whereas synchronization is generally attained at the transcriptional level via DNA-binding proteins that regulate multiple genetic modules, numerous recent studies using bacterial model systems reveal that bifunctional proteins are often appropriated as molecular couplers that act at the post-translational level. Here, we detail the developmental events that underlie such coupling and recap the molecular mechanisms by which coupling is achieved.
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