肌腱基本发育分化知识的缺乏阻碍了肌腱治疗手段的更新。转录因子Scleraxis（Scx）和Mohawk（Mkx）是调节肌腱发育的重要转录因子，但两者具体作用机制尚不明确。我们前期研究发现，两者在肌腱分化过程中的表达特征以及促进间充质干细胞向肌腱分化的作用效果存在差异。同时也发现Mkx可以通过TGFbeta途径促进Scx表达。因此，我们推测，Scx和Mkx可能通过各自特定的下游信号参与肌腱分化，同时通过某些共同的下游信号，发挥协同作用，有序地调控肌腱分化。但是目前两者作用的下游效应分子以及分子间的协同作用关系尚不明确。因此，本研究拟结合前期研究结果，利用基因芯片微阵列和染色质免疫沉淀序列分析技术，比较Scx和Mkx下游效应分子的异同，明确Scx和Mkx相互协作的分子网络关系。该研究将揭示肌腱发育过发育过程中的分子信号调控体系，为肌腱损伤的治疗提供新思路。

The repair of injured tendons remains a great challenge, largely owing to a lack of understanding of the molecular interactions in tendon development. The transcription factor Scleraxis (Scx) and Mohawk (Mkx) are important regulators of tenogenic differentiation. However, the exact roles of Scx and Mkx in tendon development remain largely unknown. In our previous study, we found the similar and different roles of Mkx and Scx in tendon development and in the tenogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, Mkx dramatically up-regulated Scx through TGFbeta pathway. Therefore, Scx and Mkx could play synergistic roles or specific roles by different networks in tendon development. We will screen the downstream genes of Scx and Mkx by micro-array and Chip-Sequencing analysis to explore the signal pathways in tendon differentiation, which offering fresh insights into tendon development and a new therapeutic approach for tendon regeneration.