Modulation of Prrxl1 transcriptional activity by phosphorylation

Introduction Prrxl1 is a homeodomain transcription factor essential for the connectivity and survival of nociceptive neurons in the mouse embryo dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal cord (SC). Prrxl1 mice show altered patterning of nociceptive afferent projections to the dorsal SC (dSC), neuronal loss, reduced nociception and failure to thrive. Prrxl1 displays a multiple band pattern on western-blots (WB), which is abrogated by incubation with a phosphatase. Our aim is to further characterize the nature and sites of Prrxl1 post-translational modifications and their impact on its function.