Musculin and TCF21 coordinate the maintenance of myogenic regulatory factor expression levels during mouse craniofacial development

• DOI: 10.1242/dev.068015
• Publication Date: 2012-02-07T18:01:53Z
• Authors: Natalia Moncaut; Joe W. Cross; Christine Siligan; Annette Keith; Kevin Taylor; Peter W. J. Rigby; Jaime J. Carvajal
• Keywords: MYF5; Myogenic regulatory factors; PITX2

The specification of the skeletal muscle lineage during craniofacial development is dependent on activity MYF5 and MYOD, two members myogenic regulatory factor family. In absence or MYOD there not an overt phenotype, whereas in double Myf5;MyoD knockout branchiomeric precursors fail to be specified formed. transcriptional regulation Myf5 controlled by a multitude elements acting at different times anatomical locations, with least five operating branchial arches. By contrast, only enhancers have been implicated MyoD. this work, we characterize enhancer element that drives expression arches from 9.5 days post-coitum show its context entire locus highly conserved E-boxes. These binding sites are required subset Myf5-expressing cells including both progenitors those which entered pathway. correct levels MyoD result activation musculin TCF21 through direct specific enhancers. Consistent this, timing affected but significantly reduced. Importantly, normal restored later stages, might explain particular muscles Msc;Tcf21 double-knockout mice.