Heat shock transcription factor 2 is not essential for embryonic development, fertility, or adult cognitive and psychomotor function in mice. Mol Cell Biol 2002 Nov;22(22):8005-14
Date
10/23/2002Pubmed ID
12391166Pubmed Central ID
PMC134743DOI
10.1128/MCB.22.22.8005-8014.2002Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0036840377 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 66 CitationsAbstract
Members of the heat shock factor (HSF) family are evolutionarily conserved regulators that share a highly homologous DNA-binding domain. In mammals, HSF1 is the main factor controlling the stress-inducible expression of Hsp genes while the functions of HSF2 and HSF4 are less clear. Based on its developmental profile of expression, it was hypothesized that HSF2 may play an essential role in brain and heart development, spermatogenesis, and erythroid differentiation. To directly assess this hypothesis and better understand the underlying mechanisms that require HSF2, we generated Hsf2 knockout mice. Here, we report that Hsf2(-/-) mice are viable and fertile and exhibit normal life span and behavioral functions. We conclude that HSF2, most probably because its physiological roles are integrated into a redundant network of gene regulation and function, is dispensable for normal development, fertility, and postnatal psychomotor function.
Author List
McMillan DR, Christians E, Forster M, Xiao X, Connell P, Plumier JC, Zuo X, Richardson J, Morgan S, Benjamin IJAuthor
Ivor J. Benjamin MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AcetylcysteineAnimals
Behavior, Animal
Brain
Cognition
Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors
Embryonic and Fetal Development
Fertility
Fibroblasts
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Heat-Shock Proteins
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred Strains
Mice, Knockout
Psychomotor Performance
Testis
Transcription Factors