Sox factors transcriptionally regulate ROBO4 gene expression in developing vasculature in zebrafish. J Biol Chem 2011 Sep 02;286(35):30740-30747
Date
07/07/2011Pubmed ID
21730073Pubmed Central ID
PMC3162435DOI
10.1074/jbc.M111.220665Scopus ID
2-s2.0-80052229773 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 14 CitationsAbstract
Despite their importance as members of the Roundabout (Robo) family in the control of axonal and vascular patterning, the transcriptional regulation of these genes is poorly understood. In this study, we show that members of the Sry-related high mobility box (Sox) transcription factor family as being transcriptional regulators of roundabout4 (robo4), a Robo gene family member that participates in sprouting angiogenesis in vivo, in zebrafish. Double whole mount in situ hybridization analysis in zebrafish embryos revealed co-localization of the vascular relevant Sox factors sox7 or sox18 mRNA with robo4 transcripts in developing intersomitic vessels. A 3-kb human ROBO4 promoter element was able to drive reporter expression in zebrafish to recapitulate the endogenous temporal intersomitic vessel expression pattern of robo4. EMSA analysis confirmed binding of Sox18 to a canonical Sox binding site (from -1170 bp to -1176 bp) in the ROBO4 promoter (3 kb), and mutation analysis indicated that this site was partially responsible for ROBO4 promoter activity in ECs. A combination of gain- and loss-of-function analysis identified Sox7 and Sox18 co-regulation of robo4 but not fli1a transcripts in zebrafish. Finally, Sox-mediated robo4 transcriptional regulation is conserved across evolution. These studies imply Sox-mediated transcriptional regulation of Robo4 in the developing embryonic vasculature.
Author List
Samant GV, Schupp MO, François M, Moleri S, Kothinti RK, Chun CZ, Sinha I, Sellars S, Leigh N, Pramanik K, Horswill MA, Remadevi I, Li K, Wilkinson GA, Tabatabai NM, Beltrame M, Koopman P, Ramchandran RAuthors
Keguo Li MD, PhD Research Scientist I in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinRamani Ramchandran PhD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsCell Movement
DNA Mutational Analysis
Endothelial Cells
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Humans
Mice
Mutation
Neovascularization, Pathologic
Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Receptors, Cell Surface
SOXF Transcription Factors
Transcription, Genetic
Zebrafish
Zebrafish Proteins