Abstract
The transcription factor early B-cell factor 2 (EBF2) is an essential mediator of brown adipocyte commitment and terminal differentiation. However, the mechanisms by which EBF2 regulates chromatin to activate brown fat-specific genes in adipocytes were unknown. ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation [ChIP] followed by deep sequencing) analyses in brown adipose tissue showed that EBF2 binds and regulates the activity of lineage-specific enhancers. Mechanistically, EBF2 physically interacts with the chromatin remodeler BRG1 and the BAF chromatin remodeling complex in brown adipocytes. We identified the histone reader protein DPF3 as a brown fat-selective component of the BAF complex that was required for brown fat gene programming and mitochondrial function. Loss of DPF3 in brown adipocytes reduced chromatin accessibility at EBF2-bound enhancers and led to a decrease in basal and catecholamine-stimulated expression of brown fat-selective genes. Notably, Dpf3 is a direct transcriptional target of EBF2 in brown adipocytes, thereby establishing a regulatory module through which EBF2 activates and also recruits DPF3-anchored BAF complexes to chromatin. Together, these results reveal a novel mechanism by which EBF2 cooperates with a tissue-specific chromatin remodeling complex to activate brown fat identity genes.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Genes & Development |
| Vol/bind | 31 |
| Udgave nummer | 7 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 660-673 |
| Antal sider | 14 |
| ISSN | 0890-9369 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 1 apr. 2017 |
| Udgivet eksternt | Ja |