Yasuhiko Yukuto, Haraguchi Seiki, Kitajima Satoshi, Takahashi Yu, Kanno Jun, Saga Yumiko
Cellular and Molecular Toxicology Division, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kamiyoga 1-18-1, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Mar 7;103(10):3651-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0508238103. Epub 2006 Feb 27.
Mesp2 is a transcription factor that plays fundamental roles in somitogenesis, and its expression is strictly restricted to the anterior presomitic mesoderm just before segment border formation. The transcriptional on-off cycle is linked to the segmentation clock. In our current study, we show that a T-box transcription factor, Tbx6, is essential for Mesp2 expression. Tbx6 directly binds to the Mesp2 gene upstream region and mediates Notch signaling, and subsequent Mesp2 transcription, in the anterior presomitic mesoderm. Our data therefore reveal that a mechanism, via Tbx6-dependent Notch signaling, acts on the transcriptional regulation of Mesp2. This finding uncovers an additional component of the interacting network of various signaling pathways that are involved in somitogenesis.
Mesp2是一种转录因子,在体节发生过程中发挥着重要作用,其表达严格局限于节段边界形成前的前体节中胚层。转录开关周期与体节时钟相关。在我们当前的研究中,我们表明T-box转录因子Tbx6对Mesp2的表达至关重要。Tbx6直接结合到Mesp2基因上游区域,并在前体节中胚层中介导Notch信号以及随后的Mesp2转录。因此,我们的数据揭示了一种通过Tbx6依赖的Notch信号作用于Mesp2转录调控的机制。这一发现揭示了参与体节发生的各种信号通路相互作用网络的另一个组成部分。