title: Foxc2 induces expression of MyoD and differentiation of the mouse myoblast cell line C2C12.
abstract: The Fox family of transcription factors is expressed in various organs and tissues during development, and is involved in a variety of developmental and cellular differentiation processes. Foxc2 mRNA is strongly expressed in mesoderm-derived tissues in the embryo, but the molecular mechanism of Foxc2-induced cellular differentiation and the physiological role of Foxc2 are unclear. In mouse myoblast C2C12 cells, over-expression of Foxc2 increased the expression of desmin, the muscle-specific member of the intermediate filament family of proteins, and induced the synthesis of myotubes. Transient expression of Foxc2 increased MyoD mRNA and protein levels, as assessed by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showed that Foxc2 does not bind to the promoter region of the MyoD gene, which indicated that Foxc2 does not directly activate MyoD. In contrast to reports that Foxc2 regulates the production of basement membrane components in endothelial cells, we found no evidence of Foxc2-mediated regulation of Collagen type IV alpha 1 (Col4a1) or Col4a2 in myoblast cells. Taken together, these results indicate that Foxc2 plays an important role in the development of the mesenchyme through the regulation of MyoD gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Division of Functional Morphology, Dental Research Center, Nihon University School of Dentistry, 1-8-13, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8310, Japan. omoteyama@dent.nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omoteyama
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D017570:MyoD Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D024141:Collagen Type IV; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D017570:MyoD Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; C082078:mesenchyme fork head 1 protein