title: Early growth response 2 (Egr2) plays opposing roles in committing C3H10T1/2 stem cells to adipocytes and smooth muscle-like cells.
abstract: Early growth response 2 (Egr2) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that acts as an important modulator of a variety of physiological processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Here we showed that Egr2 was downregulated by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways during the commitment of C3H10T1/2 stem cells to adipocyte lineage. Overexpression of Egr2 completely prevented BMP4-induced adipocyte lineage commitment of C3H10T1/2 stem cells, while simultaneously stimulating early smooth muscle-like differentiation. We also demonstrated that Egr2-induced early smooth muscle-like differentiation is transforming growth factor β1-independent. Egr2 can activate the transcription of early smooth muscle cell specific genes smooth muscle protein 22α and calponin 1. Together, the results indicated a novel role for Egr2 in repressing adipocyte lineage commitment and promoting early smooth muscle-like cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, The Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
authors.forename: Shan-Shan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Su-Zhen
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Ting
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qi-Qun
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D051767:Early Growth Response Protein 2; C497327:Egr2 protein, mouse; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
keywords: 422/aP2; Adipogenesis; BMP4; C3H10T1/2; Cnn1; Commitment; Egr1; Egr2; MSC; Myocd; PPARγ; SMC; Sm22α; Sm22β; Smooth muscle cell; Srf; Tgfβ1; actin alpha 2 smooth muscle aorta; bone morphogenetic protein 4; calponin 1; early growth response 1; early growth response 2; fatty acid-binding protein; mesenchymal stem cell; myocardin; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ; serum response factor; smooth muscle cell; smooth muscle protein 22α; smooth muscle protein 22β; transforming growth factor β1; α-SMA