Abdominal-class homeodomain-containing (Hox) factors form multimeric complexes with TALE-class homeodomain proteins (Pbx, Meis) to regulate tissue morphogenesis and skeletal development. Here we have established that Pbx1 negatively regulates Hoxa10-mediated gene transcription in mesenchymal cells and identified components of a Pbx1 complex associated with genes in osteoblasts. Expression of Pb...

Smooth muscle cells arise from different populations of precursor cells during embryonic development. The mechanisms that specify the smooth muscle cell phenotype in each of these populations of cells are largely unknown. In many tissues and organs, homeodomain transcription factors play a key role in directing cell specification. However, little is known about how these proteins regulate smoot...

Several studies point to multiple members of the Hox transcription factor family as playing key roles in normal hematopoietic development, and they link the imbalanced expression of these transcription factors, in particular of the Abd-like A cluster HOX genes HOXA9 and HOXA10, to leukemogenesis. To test directly the hypothesis that HOXA10 is involved in human hematopoietic development, the gen...

HOXA10 is necessary for normal development of the Müllerian duct, and continued adult expression in the uterus is necessary for female fertility. HOXA10 expression is altered by diethylstilbestrol, leading to uterine anomalies. Other endocrine disruptors may potentially lead to reproductive anomalies or dysfunction by altering HOXA10 expression. Here we investigated the effect of isoflavones on...

A poor prognosis subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by increased expression of a set of homeodomain (HD) transcription factors, including HoxA9, HoxA10 and Cdx4. This encompasses AML with MLL1 gene translocations, because Mll1-fusion proteins aberrantly activate HOX transcription. We previously identified FGF2 (Fibroblast Growth Factor 2) as a target gene for HoxA9 and Hox...

During the inflammatory response, interferon(IFN) increases transcription of the gene encoding gp91, a respiratory burst oxidase component. This gene (referred to as the CYBB gene) is transcribed in phagocytic cells differentiated beyond the promyelocyte stage, and transcription continues until cell death. Previous investigations identified a positive regulatory element in the proximal CYBB pro...

HOXA10 is necessary for embryonic patterning of skeletal elements, but its function in bone formation beyond this early developmental stage is unknown. Here we show that HOXA10 contributes to osteogenic lineage determination through activation of Runx2 and directly regulates osteoblastic phenotypic genes. In response to bone morphogenic protein BMP2, Hoxa10 is rapidly induced and functions to a...

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors that dictate developmental identity, including that of the Mullerian tract. These genes also direct differential Mullerian transformation of the ovarian cancer cells. The homeobox gene HOXA10 controls uterine organogenesis during embryonic development and similarly is expressed in endometroid epithelial ovarian cancer. Here we confirmed aberrant regul...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is perhaps the most prevalent endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, characterized by elevated levels of circulating androgens or clinical manifestations of androgen excess. The specific cytokine profile of PCOS patients is probably related to the lower implantation rate, since follicular fluid appears to...

Background: Epigenetic aberration such as DNA methylation and histone modifications appear to be involved in various diseases such as Endometriosis. Here, we investigated the epigenetic regulation of HOXA10 promoter, as a crucial gene, responsible for uterine organogenesis, functional endometrial differentiation and endometrial receptivity, and its correlation with mRNA expression of this gene ...