Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells
10:21

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells

Published on: February 21, 2018

Nuclear receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) modulates mesenchymal cell

Xin Xie1, Jun Qin, Sue-Hwa Lin

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 30, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) regulates mesenchymal stem cell differentiation. Inactivating COUP-TFII promotes bone and muscle growth while hindering fat and cartilage development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Molecular Endocrinology

Background:

  • Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent, differentiating into various cell types like osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and myocytes.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms governing mesenchymal progenitor lineage specification and differentiation remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) in regulating mesenchymal progenitor cell fate.
  • To elucidate how COUP-TFII influences osteogenic, myogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Gene inactivation studies of COUP-TFII in mouse models.
  • Analysis of mesenchymal cell differentiation markers and signaling pathways.
  • In vivo assessment of bone density, muscle mass, cartilage, and fat formation.

Main Results:

  • Inactivation of COUP-TFII in mesenchymal progenitors promoted osteoblast and myoblast development.
  • COUP-TFII deficiency led to impaired adipogenic and chondrogenic programs.
  • Ablation of COUP-TFII in mice resulted in increased bone density, enhanced muscle mass, and suppressed cartilage and fat formation.
  • COUP-TFII modulates Wnt signaling, Runx2, PPARγ, and Sox9 expression to control mesenchymal plasticity.

Conclusions:

  • COUP-TFII acts as a critical regulator of mesenchymal stem cell lineage commitment.
  • This nuclear receptor fine-tunes progenitor cell differentiation, impacting skeletal and soft tissue development.

More Related Videos

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for Tissue-specific Genes using Early-stage Mouse Embryos11:02

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for Tissue-specific Genes using Early-stage Mouse Embryos

Published on: April 29, 2011

Related Concept Videos

Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master 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...
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master 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...
Combinatorial Gene Control02:33

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
General Transcription Factors01:30

General 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...
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-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...
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-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...