[en] Transcription factors (TFs) are traditionally viewed as DNA-binding proteins that regulate gene expression at the level of transcription. While their roles in cotranscriptional RNA processing are well established, their contribution to downstream post-transcriptional events has remained comparatively underexplored. In this article, we review emerging evidence that TFs can directly regulate mRNA stability in a gene-specific manner, thereby extending their regulatory influence across the mRNA life cycle. We highlight diverse mechanisms, including cotranscriptional mRNA imprinting, modulation of RNA modification pathways, recruitment of mRNA decay factors, and direct binding to cis-acting mRNA elements. These findings reveal an unexpected convergence between TFs and RNA-binding proteins, expand current models of gene regulation, and establish mRNA stability as an important yet underappreciated dimension of TF function.
