PBX1 and PBX3 transcription factors regulate SHH expression in the Frontonasal Ectodermal Zone through complementary mechanisms.

ABSTRACT: Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling from the Frontonasal Ectodermal Zone (FEZ) is a key regulator of craniofacial morphogenesis. Along with SHH, pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox (PBX) transcription factors regulate midfacial development. PBXs act in the epithelium during fusion of facial primordia, but their specific interactions with SHH have not been investigated. We hypothesized that PBX1/3 regulate SHH expression in the FEZ by activating or repressing transcription. The hypothesis was tested by manipulating PBX1/3 expression in chick embryos and profiling epigenomic landscapes at early developmental stages. PBX1/3 expression was perturbed in the chick face beginning at stage 10 (HH10) using RCAS viruses, and the resulting SHH expression was assessed at HH22. Overexpressing PBX1 expanded the SHH

SUBMITTER: Mok CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12140432 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature