Akt1 as a putative regulator of Hox genes.

Department of Anatomy, Embryology Lab., BK 21 Project for Med. Sci., Yonsei Univ. College of Med., Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Gene 2013 Jan 25

In mammals, precise spatiotemporal expressions of Hox genes control the main body axis during embryogenesis. However, the mechanism by which Hox genes are regulated is poorly understood. To discover the putative regulator of Hox gene s, in silico analyses were performed using GEO profiles, and Akt1 emerged as a candidate regulator of Hox gene s in E13.5 MEFs. The results of the RT-PCR showed that 5' Hoxc genes, including ncRNA were upregulated in Akt1 null MEF. Combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) and bisulfite sequencing showed that the CpG island of a 5' Hoxc gene was hypomethylated in Akt1 null cells. These results indicate that Hox expression could be controlled by the function of Akt1 through epigenetic modification such as DNA methylation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.