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Development ePress online publication date 24 Oct 2007
doi: 10.1242/dev.008367
Review
MEF2: a central regulator of diverse developmental programs
Matthew J. Potthoff
and
Eric N. Olson*
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: eric.olson{at}utsouthwestern.edu)
The myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factor acts as a lynchpin in the transcriptional circuits that control cell differentiation and organogenesis. The spectrum of genes activated by MEF2 in different cell types depends on extracellular signaling and on co-factor interactions that modulate MEF2 activity. Recent studies have revealed MEF2 to form an intimate partnership with class IIa histone deacetylases, which together function as a point of convergence of multiple epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. We review the myriad roles of MEF2 in development and the mechanisms through which it couples developmental, physiological and pathological signals with programs of cell-specific transcription.
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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007