title: Pax3:Foxc2 reciprocal repression in the somite modulates muscular versus vascular cell fate choice in multipotent progenitors.
abstract: Maintenance of multipotency and how cells exit this state to adopt a specific fate are central questions in stem cell biology. During vertebrate development, multipotent cells of the dorsal somite, the dermomyotome, give rise to different lineages such as vascular smooth and skeletal muscle, regulated by the transcription factors Foxc2 and Pax3, respectively. Here we show reciprocal inhibition between Pax3 and Foxc2 in the mouse embryo. Using both genetic approaches and manipulation of external signals in somite explants, we demonstrate that the Pax3:Foxc2 ratio modulates myogenic versus vascular cell fates. This provides insight into how cell fate choices are orchestrated by these lineage genes in the dermomyotome.
authors.affiliation: CNRS URA 2578, Département de Biologie du Développement, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Mounia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagha
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.forename: Graziella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cumano
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kume
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Relaix
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Buckingham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D000072041:PAX3 Transcription Factor; D051763:PAX7 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D019170:Somites / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D000072041:PAX3 Transcription Factor; D051763:PAX7 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors; C497322:Pax7 protein, mouse; C082078:mesenchyme fork head 1 protein; C068686:Pax3 protein, mouse