title: Transcriptional control in the mammalian liver: liver development, perinatal repression, and zonal gene regulation.
abstract: Liver function is crucial for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in mammals. Numerous genes must be properly regulated for the liver to develop and perform a variety of activities. Several recent gene-knockout studies in mice have clarified the roles of GATA6, HNF4alpha, and Foxa1/Foxa2 in early stages of liver formation. After the liver forms, transcriptional changes continue to occur; during the perinatal period, certain genes such as alpha-fetoprotein and H19 are silenced, others are activated, and position-dependent (or zonal) regulation is established. Zhx2 was recently identified as one factor involved in postnatal repression of alpha-fetoprotein and other genes. Furthermore, several studies indicate that negative regulation is involved in the zonal control of glutamine synthetase. Finally, exciting new evidence indicates that signaling through the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is also involved in zonal regulation in the adult liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA. bspear@uky.edu
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Spear
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dobierzewska
mesh_terms: D020823:ADP-Ribosylation Factor 1; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D020823:ADP-Ribosylation Factor 1