Initiation of zebrafish haematopoiesis by the TATA-box-binding protein-related factor Trf3.
TATA-box-binding protein (TBP)-related factor 3, TRF3 (also called TBP2), is a vertebrate-specific member of the TBP family that has a conserved carboxy-terminal region and DNA-binding domain virtually identical to that of TBP (ref. 1). TRF3 is highly expressed during embryonic development, and studies in zebrafish and Xenopus have shown that it is required for normal embryogenesis. Here we show that zebrafish embryos depleted of Trf3 exhibit multiple developmental defects and, in particular, fail to undergo haematopoiesis. Expression profiling for Trf3-dependent genes identified mespa, which encodes a transcription factor whose murine orthologue is required for mesoderm specification, and chromatin immunoprecipitation verified that Trf3 binds to the mespa promoter. Depletion of Mespa resulted in developmental and haematopoietic defects markedly similar to those induced by Trf3 depletion. Injection of mespa messenger RNA (mRNA) restored normal development to a Trf3-depleted embryo, indicating mespa is the single Trf3 target gene required for zebrafish embryogenesis. Zebrafish embryos depleted of Trf3 or Mespa also failed to express cdx4, a caudal-related gene required for haematopoiesis. Mespa binds to the cdx4 promoter, and epistasis analysis revealed an ordered trf3-mespa-cdx4 pathway. Thus, in zebrafish, commitment of mesoderm to the haematopoietic lineage occurs through a transcription factor pathway initiated by a TBP-related factor.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA.
Daniel O
DO
Hart
Tamal
T
Raha
Nathan D
ND
Lawson
Michael R
MR
Green
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D035182:TATA Box Binding Protein-Like Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D035181:TATA-Box Binding Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D035182:TATA Box Binding Protein-Like Proteins; D035181:TATA-Box Binding Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C499644:cdx4 protein, zebrafish; C410084:mespaa protein, zebrafish; C487363:tbpl2 protein, zebrafish