Control of mouse cardiac morphogenesis and myogenesis by transcription factor MEF2C.
Members of the myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) family of MADS (MCM1, agamous, deficiens, serum response factor)-box transcription factors bind an A-T-rich DNA sequence associated with muscle-specific genes. The murine MEF2C gene is expressed in heart precursor cells before formation of the linear heart tube. In mice homozygous for a null mutation of MEF2C, the heart tube did not undergo looping morphogenesis, the future right ventricle did not form, and a subset of cardiac muscle genes was not expressed. The absence of the right ventricular region of the mutant heart correlated with down-regulation of the dHAND gene, which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor required for cardiac morphogenesis. Thus, MEF2C is an essential regulator of cardiac myogenesis and right ventricular development.
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Department of Molecular Biology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75235-9148, USA.
Schwarz
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Bucana
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Olson
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D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018390:Gene Targeting; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells
D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; C578041:Mef2c protein, mouse; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors; D000217:Acyltransferases; C053820:trehalose mycolyltransferase