Elf5 regulation in the trophectoderm

Mouse Elf5 is expressed exclusively in the trophectoderm from the late blastocyst stage to postgastrulation. We demonstrate here that the proximal promoter is used for trophectoderm expression but is not sufficient on its own. In transgenic assays, deletion of a differentially methylated region (DMR) within the promoter has no effect on the activation and maintenance of trophectoderm expression and does not result in ectopic activity. Two redundant enhancers drive Elf5 expression to the extraembryonic ectoderm and ectoplacental cone. The enhancers, located in the 5' half of intron 1 and 3' half of intron 2, require the presence of 1.8kbp, although not the DMR, of the endogenous proximal promoter for optimal activity. These trophectoderm enhancers are mouse specific. A cattle Elf5 BAC reporter transgene is not expressed in mouse trophectoderm although it is expressed in skin, a known foetal domain of mouse Elf5 expression. The established importance of Elf5 for mouse trophectoderm at pre- and perigastrulation stages is not a conserved mammalian feature as Elf5 expression localises to embryonic as opposed to trophectodermal ectoderm in cattle.