Transcriptional control in cardiac progenitors: Tbx1 interacts with the BAF chromatin remodeling complex and regulates Wnt5a.

ABSTRACT: Mutations of the Wnt5a gene, encoding a ligand of the non-canonical Wnt pathway, and the Ror2 gene, encoding its receptor, have been found in patients with cardiac outflow tract defects. We found that Wnt5a is expressed in the second heart field (SHF), a population of cardiac progenitor cells destined to populate the cardiac outflow tract and the right ventricle. Because of cardiac phenotype similarities between Wnt5a and Tbx1 mutant mice, we tested potential interactions between the two genes. We found a strong genetic interaction in vivo and determined that the loss of both genes caused severe hypoplasia of SHF-dependent segments of the heart. We demonstrated that Wnt5a is a transcriptional target of Tbx1 and explored the mechanisms of gene regulation. Tbx1 occupies T-box binding element

SUBMITTER: Chen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3305383 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature