Msx1 homeoprotein and epigenetic regulation

초록

During embryogenesis mesoderm formation is controlled by coordinated actions of transcriptional factors that regulate the terminal differentiation. Implicated in this process is Msx1 homeoprotein, which is believed to hold the differentiation of skeletal muscle and other mesenchymal cell types. These activities of Msx1 are mediated through transcriptional repression, presumably by binding target genes in vivo. However, as is the case for other homeoproteins, promiscuous interactions of Msx1 with DNA in vitro make it difficult to explain its biological functions. We and others have shown that the selective binding to target gene and the regulation of transcription require interactions with other proteins such as H1b and PIAS1. In this presentation, I will discuss the our current understanding of molecular mechanisms by which Msx1 binds selectively to its target gene in vivo and present the unpublished data on a new Msx1 partner Ezh2, a histone methyltransferase.