title: Neurogenin and NeuroD direct transcriptional targets and their regulatory enhancers.
abstract: Proneural basic helix-loop-helix proteins are key regulators of neurogenesis but their 'proneural' function is not well understood, partly because primary targets have not been systematically defined. Here, we identified direct transcriptional targets of the bHLH proteins Neurogenin and NeuroD and found that primary roles of these transcription factors are to induce regulators of transcription, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal rearrangement for neuronal differentiation and migration. We determined targets induced in both Xenopus and mouse, which represent evolutionarily conserved core mediators of Neurogenin and NeuroD activities. We defined consensus sequences for Neurogenin and NeuroD binding and identified responsive enhancers in seven shared target genes. These enhancers commonly contained clustered, conserved consensus-binding sites and drove neural-restricted transgene expression in Xenopus embryos. We then used this enhancer signature in a genome-wide computational approach to predict additional Neurogenin/NeuroD target genes involved in neurogenesis. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Neurogenin and NeuroD preferentially recognize neurogenesis-related targets through an enhancer signature of clustered consensus-binding sites and regulate neurogenesis by activating a core set of transcription factors, which build a robust network controlling neurogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Seongjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Jong-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Dhananjay
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yellajoshyula
authors.forename: Li-Wei
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kristen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kroll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012315:RNA Caps; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012315:RNA Caps; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C101907:neurogenin, Xenopus; C093564:Neurogenic differentiation factor 1