Resolving the Combinatorial Complexity of Smad Protein Complex Formation and Its Link to Gene Expression

Upon stimulation of cells with transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), Smad proteins form trimeric complexes and activate a broad spectrum of target genes. It remains unresolved which of the possible Smad complexes are formed in cellular contexts and how these contribute to gene expression. By combining quantitative mass spectrometry with a computational selection strategy, we predict and provide experimental evidence for the three most relevant...