Program specificity for Ptf1a in pancreas versus neural tube development correlates with distinct collaborating cofactors and chromatin accessibility.

ABSTRACT: The lineage-specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Ptf1a is a critical driver for development of both the pancreas and nervous system. How one transcription factor controls diverse programs of gene expression is a fundamental question in developmental biology. To uncover molecular strategies for the program-specific functions of Ptf1a, we identified bound genomic regions in vivo during development of both tissues. Most regions bound by Ptf1a are specific to each tissue, lie near genes needed for proper formation of each tissue, and coincide with regions of open chromatin. The specificity of Ptf1a binding is encoded in the DNA surrounding the Ptf1a-bound sites, because these regions are sufficient to direct tissue-restricted reporter expression in transgenic mice. Fox and Sox

SUBMITTER: Meredith DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3753895 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature