Regulation mechanisms involved in tissue-specific gene expression

基因组DNA的基因表达受到严格调控。一些基因在特定组织中特异性表达，尽管还不清楚组织特异性基因表达是如何调节的。骨骼肌特异性转录因子MyoD对骨骼肌特异性基因的调控作用已在以往的研究中得到证实。然而，在大多数其他组织中尚未发现类似于MyoD的主调节因子，这表明组织特异性基因表达也受到其他机制的调节。为了研究这些假定的机制，我们选择了内皮细胞（EC）特异性基因Robo4，并研究了其基因表达在转录水平上的调控，这是通过转录因子和表观遗传控制发生的。

Gene expression of the genomic DNA is tightly regulated. Some genes are specifically expressed in particular tissues, although it is not clearly understood how tissue-specific gene expression is regulated. Previous research on skeletal muscle has evidently shown that the skeletal muscle-specific transcription factor MyoD regulates skeletal muscle-specific genes. However, master regulators similar to MyoD have not been identified in most other tissues, suggesting that tissue-specific gene expression is regulated by other mechanisms as well. To investigate these putative mechanisms, we chose the endothelial cell (EC)-specific gene Robo4 and studied the regulation of its gene expression at the transcriptional level, which occurs via transcription factors and epigenetic controls.