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First published online 13 June 2007
doi: 10.1242/dev.002485

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Material All Versions of this Article: dev.002485v1 134/14/2639    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in Development Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Horsfield, J. A. Articles by Crosier, P. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Horsfield, J. A. Articles by Crosier, P. S.

Cohesin-dependent regulation of Runx genes

Julia A. Horsfield^1,*, Sasha H. Anagnostou¹, Jimmy Kuang-Hsien Hu^1,, Kitty Hsiao Yu Cho¹, Robert Geisler², Graham Lieschke³, Kathryn E. Crosier¹ and Philip S. Crosier^1,

¹ Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
² Max Planck Institute für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstrasse 35/III, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
³ Cancer and Haematology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia.

Author for correspondence (e-mail: ps.crosier{at}auckland.ac.nz)

Accepted 21 May 2007

Runx transcription factors determine cell fate in many lineages. Maintaining balanced levels of Runx proteins is crucial, as deregulated expression leads to cancers and developmental disorders. We conducted a forward genetic screen in zebrafish for positive regulators of runx1 that yielded the cohesin subunit rad21. Zebrafish embryos lacking Rad21, or cohesin subunit Smc3, fail to express runx3 and lose hematopoietic runx1 expression in early embryonic development. Failure to develop differentiated blood cells in rad21 mutants is partially rescued by microinjection of runx1 mRNA. Significantly, monoallelic loss of rad21 caused a reduction in the transcription of runx1 and of the proneural genes ascl1a and ascl1b, indicating that downstream genes are sensitive to Rad21 dose. Changes in gene expression were observed in a reduced cohesin background in which cell division was able to proceed, indicating that cohesin might have a function in transcription that is separable from its mitotic role. Cohesin is a protein complex essential for sister chromatid cohesion and DNA repair that also appears to be essential for normal development through as yet unknown mechanisms. Our findings provide evidence for a novel role for cohesin in development, and indicate potential for monoallelic loss of cohesin subunits to alter gene expression.

Key words: Runx1, Runx3, Rad21, Scc1, Cohesin

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Development 2007 134: e1405. [Full Text]  

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