The complex transcriptional programs underlying multicellularity require more nuanced means of regulation than merely altering the abundances of transcription factors in the nucleus. Similar to cellular signaling pathways, gene regulatory circuits depend on dynamic covalent modifications of regulatory proteins to achieve spatiotemporal control of expression. My research focuses on the roles of acetylation and SUMOylation of mammalian TFs in transcriptional regulation and the mechanisms at play in depositing and interpreting these marks.