TY - JOUR
T1 - Transcriptional control of muscle development by myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) proteins
AU - Black, Brian L.
AU - Olson, Eric N.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Metazoans contain multiple types of muscle cells that share several common properties, including contractility, excitability, and expression of overlapping sets of muscle structural genes that mediate these functions. Recent biochemical and genetic studies have demonstrated that members of the myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) family of MADS (MCM1, agamous, deficiens, serum response factor)box transcription factors play multiple roles in muscle cells to control myogenesis and morphogenesis. Like other MADS-box proteins, MEF2 proteins act combinatorially through protein-protein interactions with other transcription factors to control specific sets of target genes. Genetic studies in Drosophila have also begun to reveal the upstream elements of myogenic regulatory hierarchies that control MEF2 expression during development of skeletal, cardiac, and visceral muscle lineages. Paradoxically, MEF2 factors also regulate cell proliferation by functioning as endpoints for a variety of growth factor-regulated intracellular signaling pathways that are antagonistic to muscle differentiation. We discuss the diverse functions of this family of transcription factors, the ways in which they are regulated, and their mechanisms of action.
AB - Metazoans contain multiple types of muscle cells that share several common properties, including contractility, excitability, and expression of overlapping sets of muscle structural genes that mediate these functions. Recent biochemical and genetic studies have demonstrated that members of the myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) family of MADS (MCM1, agamous, deficiens, serum response factor)box transcription factors play multiple roles in muscle cells to control myogenesis and morphogenesis. Like other MADS-box proteins, MEF2 proteins act combinatorially through protein-protein interactions with other transcription factors to control specific sets of target genes. Genetic studies in Drosophila have also begun to reveal the upstream elements of myogenic regulatory hierarchies that control MEF2 expression during development of skeletal, cardiac, and visceral muscle lineages. Paradoxically, MEF2 factors also regulate cell proliferation by functioning as endpoints for a variety of growth factor-regulated intracellular signaling pathways that are antagonistic to muscle differentiation. We discuss the diverse functions of this family of transcription factors, the ways in which they are regulated, and their mechanisms of action.
KW - Cardiac development
KW - Gene expression
KW - MADS-box
KW - Myogenesis
KW - Transcription factor
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.14.1.167
DO - 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.14.1.167
M3 - Review article
C2 - 9891782
AN - SCOPUS:0032437107
SN - 1081-0706
VL - 14
SP - 167
EP - 196
JO - Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology
JF - Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology
ER -