Expression profiling of BEN regulated genes in mouse embryonic fibroblasts

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Abstract
BEN is a member of the TFII‐I family of helix–loop–helix transcription factors. Both TFII‐I and BEN are involved in gene regulation through interactions with tissue‐specific transcription factors and chromatin remodeling complexes. Identification of the downstream target genes of TFII‐I proteins is critical in delineating the regulatory effects of these proteins. In this study, we conducted a microarray analysis to determine gene expression alterations following the overexpression of BEN in primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We found the BEN‐dependent modulation in the expression of large groups of genes representing a wide variety of functional categories including genes important in the immune response, cell cycle, transcriptional regulation and cell signaling. A set of genes identified by the microarray analysis was validated by independent real‐time PCR analysis. Among upregulated genes were Shrm, Tgfb2, Ube2l6, G1p2, Ccl7 while downregulated genes were Folr1, Tgfbr2, Csrp2, and Dlk1. These results support a versatile function of TFII‐I proteins in vertebrate physiology and lead to an increased understanding of the BEN‐dependent molecular events. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 308B:209–224, 2007.