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Direct transcriptional regulation of Gata4 during early endoderm specification is controlled by FoxA2 binding to an intronic enhancer.

ABSTRACT: The embryonic endoderm is a multipotent progenitor cell population that gives rise to the epithelia of the digestive and respiratory tracts, the liver and the pancreas. Among the transcription factors that have been shown to be important for endoderm development and gut morphogenesis is GATA4. Despite the important role of GATA4 in endoderm development, its transcriptional regulation is not well understood. In this study, we identified an intronic enhancer from the mouse Gata4 gene that directs expression to the definitive endoderm in the early embryo. The activity of this enhancer is initially broad in all endodermal progenitors, as demonstrated by fate mapping analysis using the Cre/loxP system, but becomes restricted to the dorsal foregut and midgut, and associated organs such as dorsal pancreas and stomach. The function of the intronic Gata4 enhancer is dependent upon a conserved Forkhead transcription factor-binding site, which is bound by recombinant FoxA2 in vitro. These studies identify Gata4 as a direct transcriptional target of FoxA2 in the hierarchy of the transcriptional regulatory network that controls the development of the definitive endoderm.

SUBMITTER: Rojas A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2945415 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Direct transcriptional regulation of Gata4 during early endoderm specification is controlled by FoxA2 binding to an intronic enhancer.

Rojas Anabel A Schachterle William W Xu Shan-Mei SM Martín Franz F Black Brian L BL

Developmental biology 20100806 2

The embryonic endoderm is a multipotent progenitor cell population that gives rise to the epithelia of the digestive and respiratory tracts, the liver and the pancreas. Among the transcription factors that have been shown to be important for endoderm development and gut morphogenesis is GATA4. Despite the important role of GATA4 in endoderm development, its transcriptional regulation is not well understood. In this study, we identified an intronic enhancer from the mouse Gata4 gene that directs ...[more]

PMID: 20692247

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Project description:BackgroundGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 genetic loci associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the underlying biological mechanisms for many of these associations remain unknown. GWAS signals close to the glucokinase regulatory protein gene (GCKR) have been reported for lipid and glucose metabolism traits and the risk of T2D. We investigated the regulatory function of an intronic locus at GCKR represented by the lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs780094.MethodsWe used ENCODE project histone modification and transcription factor binding data to determine the regulatory features of a GCKR intronic locus formed by the high linkage disequilibrium rs780094(C/T), rs780095(G/A), and rs780096(G/C) SNPs. Characterization of the transcriptional activity of this region was assessed by luciferase reporter assays in HepG2 cells and mouse primary hepatocytes. ChIP-qPCR was used to determine the levels of haplotype specific transcription factor binding and histone marks. A CRISPR-dCas9 transcriptional activator system and qPCR were used to activate the locus and measure GCKR expression, respectively. Differential haplotype expression was measured from human liver biopsies.ResultsThe ENCODE data suggest the existence of a liver-specific intragenic enhancer at the locus represented by s780094. We observed that FOXA2 increased the transcriptional activity of this region in a haplotype specific way (CGG > TAC; rs780094, rs780095, and rs780096). In addition, the CGG haplotype showed higher binding to FOXA2 and higher levels of the H3K27Ac histone mark. The epigenetic activation of this locus increased the expression of endogenous GCKR in HepG2 cells, confirming that GCKR is the direct target gene of the enhancer. Finally, we confirmed that the CGG haplotype exhibits higher levels of transcription in human liver.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the existence of a liver-specific FOXA2-regulated transcriptional enhancer at an intronic T2D locus represented by rs780094, rs780095, and rs780096 SNPs that increases GCKR expression. Differential haplotype regulation suggests the existence of cis regulatory effects that may contribute to the associated traits at this locus.

Project description:BackgroundThe specific genetic regulation of neural primordial cell determination is of great interest in stem cell biology. The Musashi1 (Msi1) protein, which belongs to an evolutionarily conserved family of RNA-binding proteins, is a marker for neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) in the embryonic and post-natal central nervous system (CNS). Msi1 regulates the translation of its downstream targets, including m-Numb and p21 mRNAs. In vitro experiments using knockout mice have shown that Msi1 and its isoform Musashi2 (Msi2) keep NS/PCs in an undifferentiated and proliferative state. Msi1 is expressed not only in NS/PCs, but also in other somatic stem cells and in tumours. Based on previous findings, Msi1 is likely to be a key regulator for maintaining the characteristics of self-renewing stem cells. However, the mechanisms regulating Msi1 expression are not yet clear.ResultsTo identify the DNA region affecting Msi1 transcription, we inserted the fusion gene ffLuc, comprised of the fluorescent Venus protein and firefly Luciferase, at the translation initiation site of the mouse Msi1 gene locus contained in a 184-kb bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). Fluorescence and Luciferase activity, reflecting the Msi1 transcriptional activity, were observed in a stable BAC-carrying embryonic stem cell line when it was induced toward neural lineage differentiation by retinoic acid treatment. When neuronal differentiation was induced in embryoid body (EB)-derived neurosphere cells, reporter signals were detected in Msi1-positive NSCs and GFAP-positive astrocytes, but not in MAP2-positive neurons. By introducing deletions into the BAC reporter gene and conducting further reporter experiments using a minimized enhancer region, we identified a region, "D5E2," that is responsible for Msi1 transcription in NS/PCs.ConclusionsA regulatory element for Msi1 transcription in NS/PCs is located in the sixth intron of the Msi1 gene. The 595-bp D5E2 intronic enhancer can transactivate Msi1 gene expression with cell-type specificity markedly similar to the endogenous Msi1 expression patterns.

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Direct transcriptional regulation of Gata4 during early endoderm specification is controlled by FoxA2 binding to an intronic enhancer.

Publications

Direct transcriptional regulation of Gata4 during early endoderm specification is controlled by FoxA2 binding to an intronic enhancer.

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