Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Isolation and Differentiation of Stromal Vascular Cells to Beige/Brite Cells
Published on: March 28, 2013
A Molecular Switch Regulating Cell Fate Choice between Muscle Progenitor Cells and Brown Adipocytes.
Yitai An1, Gang Wang1, Yarui Diao1
1Division of Life Science, Center for Stem Cell Research, Center of Systems Biology and Human Health, State Key Laboratory in Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clearwater Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Pax7 is crucial for muscle progenitor cell development. Its absence triggers a switch to brown adipocyte (BA) fate by upregulating BA genes and repressing muscle genes via the MyoD/Myf5-E2F4/p107/p130 axis.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) and brown adipocytes (BAs) originate from common Pax7+/Myf5+ progenitor cells.
- The precise mechanisms governing cell fate decisions between MPCs and BAs are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the role of Pax7 in regulating cell fate decisions between MPCs and BAs.
- To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the switch from MPC to BA fate.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Pax7-null mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and progenitor cells.
- Gene expression analysis (including Prdm16, Ucp1, Myod, Myf5).
- In vitro cell culture to assess differentiation potential.
- Inducible Pax7 ablation in developing mouse embryos.
Main Results:
- Pax7-null MPCs exhibited upregulation of BA-specific genes (Prdm16, Ucp1) and downregulation of muscle genes (Myod, Myf5).
- Pax7-null MPCs differentiated into UCP1+ BAs in culture, unlike wild-type MPCs.
- MyoD and Myf5, regulated by Pax7, repress Prdm16 expression through the E2F4/p107/p130 complex.
- Pax7 ablation in embryos promoted brown fat development.
Conclusions:
- The MyoD/Myf5-E2F4/p107/p130 pathway acts as a critical repressor of brown adipocyte fate in Pax7-expressing progenitor cells and myoblasts.
- Pax7 plays a key role in directing cell fate towards MPCs by suppressing the alternative BA lineage.
More Related Videos
14:47Identification of MyoD Interactome Using Tandem Affinity Purification Coupled to Mass Spectrometry
Published on: May 17, 2016
04:46Differentiation and Imaging of Brown Adipocytes from the Stromal Vascular Fraction of Interscapular Adipose Tissue from Newborn Mice
Published on: February 3, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Master Transcription Regulators
Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription...
General Transcription Factors
Lineage Commitment
Forced Transdifferentiation
Artificial...
Transcription Factors