Related Experiment Videos

A Core Response to the CDX2 Homeoprotein During Development and in Pathologies

Victor Gourain1, Isabelle Duluc2, Claire Domon-Dell2

  • 1Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Frontiers in Genetics
|November 11, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The study identified a core set of genes regulated by the CDX2 homeobox gene during mouse embryonic development. These findings are relevant to human diseases, showing altered expression in cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • The transcription factor CDX2 is crucial for embryonic development and adult diseases.
  • Understanding conserved gene functions across different cellular contexts is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the CDX2 homeobox gene, involved in various functions, shares a core set of molecular activities.
  • To identify common genes and chromosomal regions targeted by CDX2 during distinct developmental stages.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of RNA sequencing (RNAseq) and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIPseq) data from mouse embryogenesis.
  • Validation using transgenic mouse models with altered CDX2 function.
  • Analysis of human cancer datasets for orthologous gene expression.

Main Results:

  • A core set of CDX2-responsive genes was identified during trophectoderm formation, posterior body elongation, and intestinal specification.
  • Common chromosomal regions targeted by CDX2 were found across these developmental steps.
  • A significant overlap was observed between mouse CDX2-responsive genes and human genes with altered expression in malignancies.

Conclusions:

  • CDX2 homeoprotein orchestrates a conserved transcriptional program during key embryonic developmental events.
  • The identified CDX2-regulated gene network is relevant to human cancers, indicating conserved roles in disease.
Keywords:
cancerchromatin targetsembryogene expressionhomeobox gene

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