Prediction of regulatory factor X1 binding sites in promoters of RNA-binding proteins genes in mouse brain.

BACKGROUND

There is an increasing interest in the role of regulatory factor X1 (RFX1) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) during neural development. However, there are few reports about their interaction.

METHODS

We extracted RNA and performed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to identify RFX1 expression in imprinting control region (ICR) mouse tissues, analyzed RFX1 domains and motif consensus by comparing public databases on the Internet, tested the motif consensus with affinity-capture and western blotting experiments with mouse brain tissue, and predicted the binding sites of RFX1 in promoter regions of mouse RBPs genes.

RESULTS

The expression of RFX1 was higher in embryonic brain compared to embryonic kidney, heart, and liver, and its expression level was relatively stable and higher in mouse embryonic brain than neonatal brain. RFX1 had several domains, including domain A as an activation domain, DBD as a DNA binding domain, domain B and C which played an important role in dimerization, and domain D as dimerization domain. RFX1 had three different profiles motif consensus RFX1M00281, RFX1M00280, and RFX1 (EF-C) M00626. There were 79 RFX1 binding sites at the promoters of 65 of 323 RBPs genes.

CONCLUSION

RFX1 as regulatory factor will have putative important regulating role in the expression of RBPs genes during embryonic development of mouse brain.