Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Arterial specification and differentiation are influenced by a number of regulatory pathways. While it is known that the Vegfa-Notch cascade plays a central role, the transcriptional hierarchy controlling arterial specification has not been fully delineated. To elucidate the direct transcriptional regulators of Notch receptor expression in arterial endothelial cells, we used histone signatures, DNaseI hypersensitivity and ChIP-seq data to identify enhancers for the human NOTCH1 and zebrafish notch1b genes. These enhancers were able to direct arterial endothelial cell-restricted expression in transgenic models. Genetic disruption of SoxF binding sites established a clear requirement for members of this group of transcription factors (SOX7, SOX17 and SOX18) to drive the activity of these enhancers in vivo Endogenous deletion of the notch1b enhancer led to a significant loss of arterial connections to the dorsal aorta in Notch pathway-deficient zebrafish. Loss of SoxF function revealed that these factors are necessary for NOTCH1 and notch1b enhancer activity and for correct endogenous transcription of these genes. These findings position SoxF transcription factors directly upstream of Notch receptor expression during the acquisition of arterial identity in vertebrates.

Original publication

DOI

10.1242/dev.146241

Type

Journal article

Journal

Development

Publication Date

15/07/2017

Volume

144

Pages

2629 - 2639

Keywords

Arterial enhancer, Artery, Endothelial cell, Human, Mouse, Notch1, SoxF, Transcriptional regulation, Zebrafish, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Arteries, Arteriovenous Malformations, Enhancer Elements, Genetic, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, Humans, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Mice, Transgenic, Pregnancy, Receptor, Notch1, SOXF Transcription Factors, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Signal Transduction, Zebrafish, Zebrafish Proteins