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Published on: February 16, 2017
A TALE/HOX code unlocks WNT signalling response towards paraxial mesoderm
Luca Mariani1, Xiaogang Guo1, Niels Alvaro Menezes1
1Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cells use a BRACHYURY-TALE/HOX code to control gene expression during development. This mechanism ensures proper lineage specification by regulating chromatin accessibility and WNT signaling in neuromesodermal progenitors.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cellular context dictates responses to signaling cues, crucial for lineage specification.
- Neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) utilize WNT signaling for expansion and differentiation.
- Temporal control of WNT-activated gene expression in NMPs remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanism by which WNT signaling temporally activates lineage-specific genes in NMPs.
- To identify the key factors and chromatin modifications involved in paraxial mesoderm induction.
- To understand how WNT signaling drives NMPs towards a specific developmental fate.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the role of TALE/HOX transcription factors in NMP differentiation.
- Analyzed chromatin accessibility at WNT-responsive regulatory regions.
- Examined the recruitment of WNT pathway components, including LEF1, to target genes.
Main Results:
- Paraxial mesoderm induction depends on TALE/HOX combinatorial activity.
- A BRACHYURY-TALE/HOX code was identified that represses NMP genes and activates differentiation.
- This code destabilizes nucleosomes, creating a permissive chromatin landscape for LEF1 recruitment.
- This process unlocks the WNT transcriptional program driving NMPs to the paraxial mesodermal fate.
Conclusions:
- The BRACHYURY-TALE/HOX code is essential for temporal WNT signal interpretation and lineage specification.
- Chromatin remodeling by this code facilitates precise WNT-mediated transcriptional activation.
- This mechanism ensures NMPs commit to the paraxial mesoderm lineage.
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