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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

10/23/2002

Pubmed ID

12391166

Pubmed Central ID

PMC134743

DOI

10.1128/MCB.22.22.8005-8014.2002

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0036840377 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   66 Citations

Abstract

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 IJ

Author

Ivor J. Benjamin MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Acetylcysteine
Animals
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