Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
09:29
Assessing Cardiomyocyte Subtypes Following Transcription Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts
Published on: March 22, 2017
Myocyte enhancer factor 2A is transcriptionally autoregulated
Bindu Ramachandran1, Gengsheng Yu, Shiguang Li
1Diabetes Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.
The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|December 13, 2007
Summary
Myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) gene expression is regulated by its own protein products. This autoregulation, involving alternative promoters and signaling pathways, is conserved in evolution.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) proteins are crucial transcription factors in muscle and neuronal development.
- The MEF2 gene family, including MEF2A, exhibits complex expression patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transcriptional regulation of the MEF2A gene.
- To identify regulatory elements and signaling pathways controlling MEF2A expression.
Main Methods:
- Mapping of MEF2A transcriptional control regions.
- Ribonuclease protection and primer extension assays to analyze mRNA.
- Chromatin immunoprecipitation to study protein-DNA interactions.
- Analysis of promoter activity under different signaling conditions.
Main Results:
- MEF2A possesses two alternative TATA-less promoters located 65 kb upstream.
- Both promoters are active in adult tissues and are regulated by a MEF2 binding site.
- This MEF2 site autoregulates MEF2A transcription, silencing promoter 1 and activating promoter 2.
- Erk5 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways activate MEF2A expression via the MEF2 element.
- Similar regulatory structures are found in amphioxus MEF2, suggesting evolutionary conservation.
Conclusions:
- MEF2A transcription is subject to autoregulation by MEF2 factors.
- Signaling pathways modulate MEF2A expression through this autoregulatory mechanism.
- The conserved regulatory structure highlights the ancient importance of MEF2A autoregulation.
More Related Videos
10:28Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
09:16Suppression of Pro-fibrotic Signaling Potentiates Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts into Induced Cardiomyocytes
Published on: June 3, 2018
Related Concept Videos
02:23Master Transcription Regulators
Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
02:23Master Transcription Regulators
Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
01:30General Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:04Co-activators and Co-repressors
Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
02:04Co-activators and Co-repressors
Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...