| First Author | Schifferl D | Year | 2021 |
| Journal | Development | Volume | 148 |
| Issue | 23 | PubMed ID | 34822716 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:363655 | Mgi Id | MGI:8163657 |
| Doi | 10.1242/dev.200059 | Citation | Schifferl D, et al. (2021) A 37 kb region upstream of brachyury comprising a notochord enhancer is essential for notochord and tail development. Development 148(23) |
| abstractText | The node-streak border region comprising notochord progenitor cells (NPCs) at the posterior node and neuro-mesodermal progenitor cells (NMPs) in the adjacent epiblast is the prime organizing center for axial elongation in mouse embryos. The T-box transcription factor brachyury (T) is essential for both formation of the notochord and maintenance of NMPs, and thus is a key regulator of trunk and tail development. The T promoter controlling T expression in NMPs and nascent mesoderm has been characterized in detail; however, control elements for T expression in the notochord have not been identified yet. We have generated a series of deletion alleles by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in mESCs, and analyzed their effects in mutant mouse embryos. We identified a 37 kb region upstream of T that is essential for notochord function and tailbud outgrowth. Within that region, we discovered a T-binding enhancer required for notochord cell specification and differentiation. Our data reveal a complex regulatory landscape controlling cell type-specific expression and function of T in NMP/nascent mesoderm and node/notochord, allowing proper trunk and tail development. |
