Lilly B, Galewsky S, Firulli A B, Schulz R A, Olson E N
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Jun 7;91(12):5662-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.12.5662.
The myocyte enhancer factor (MEF) 2 family of transcription factors has been implicated in the regulation of muscle transcription in vertebrates. We have cloned a protein from Drosophila, termed D-MEF2, that shares extensive amino acid homology with the MADS (MCM1, Agamous, Deficiens, and serum-response factor) domains of the vertebrate MEF2 proteins. D-mef2 gene expression is first detected during Drosophila embryogenesis within mesodermal precursor cells prior to specification of the somatic and visceral muscle lineages. Expression of D-mef2 is dependent on the mesodermal determinants twist and snail but independent of the homeobox-containing gene tinman, which is required for visceral muscle and heart development. D-mef2 expression precedes that of the MyoD homologue, nautilus, and, in contrast to nautilus, D-mef2 appears to be expressed in all somatic and visceral muscle cell precursors. Its temporal and spatial expression patterns suggest that D-mef2 may play an important role in commitment of mesoderm to myogenic lineages.
肌细胞增强因子（MEF）2家族转录因子与脊椎动物肌肉转录的调控有关。我们从果蝇中克隆了一种蛋白质，称为D - MEF2，它与脊椎动物MEF2蛋白的MADS（MCM1、无配子、缺失和血清反应因子）结构域具有广泛的氨基酸同源性。D - mef2基因表达首先在果蝇胚胎发育期间，在体壁和内脏肌肉谱系分化之前的中胚层前体细胞中被检测到。D - mef2的表达依赖于中胚层决定因子twist和snail，但不依赖于含同源异型框的基因tinman，tinman是内脏肌肉和心脏发育所必需的。D - mef2的表达先于MyoD同源物鹦鹉螺的表达，与鹦鹉螺不同的是，D - mef2似乎在所有体壁和内脏肌肉细胞前体中都有表达。其时间和空间表达模式表明，D - mef2可能在中胚层向肌源性谱系的分化中起重要作用。
