The negative regulation of Mesp2 by mouse Ripply2 is required to establish the rostro-caudal patterning within a somite

The Mesp2 transcription factor plays essential roles in segmental border formation and in the establishment of rostro-caudal patterning within a somite. A possible Mesp2 target gene, Ripply2, was identified by microarray as being downregulated in the Mesp2-null mouse. Ripply2 encodes a putative transcriptional co-repressor containing a WRPW motif. We find that Mesp2 binds to the Ripply2 gene enhancer, indicating that Ripply2 is a direct target of Mesp2. We then examined whether Ripply2 is responsible for the repression of genes under the control of Mesp2 by generating a Ripply2-knockout mouse. Unexpectedly, Ripply2-null embryos show a rostralized phenotype, in contrast to Mesp2-null mice. Gene expression studies together with genetic analyses further revealed that Ripply2 is a negative regulator of Mesp2 and that the loss of the Ripply2 gene results in the prolonged expression of Mesp2, leading to a rostralized phenotype via the suppression of Notch signaling. Our study demonstrates that a Ripply2-Mesp2 negative-feedback loop is essential for the periodic generation of the rostro-caudal polarity within a somite.