Purpose Retinal ganglion cells (RGC) can be categorized into roughly 30 distinct subtypes. How these subtypes develop is poorly understood, in part because few unique subtype markers have been characterized. We tested whether the Prdm16 transcription factor is expressed by RGCs as a class or within particular ganglion cell subtypes. Methods Embryonic and mature retinal sections and flatmount ...

Our previous report identified PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16), a member of the PR-domain gene family, as a new methylation associated gene in astrocytoma cells. This previous study also reported that miR-101 is a tumor suppressor in glioma. The present study confirms that PRDM16 is a hypomethylated gene that can be overexpressed in astrocytoma patients and demonstrates that the hypomethylatio...

The positive regulatory domain containing 16 (PRDM16) is commonly regarded as a "switch" controlling the transdifferentiation of myoblasts to brown adipocytes. The N-positive regulatory (PR) domain, which is highly homologous to SET domain, is a characteristic structure for the PRDM family. Many SET domain containing proteins and several PRDM members have been found to possess histone methyltra...

Fetal liver and adult bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) renew or differentiate into committed progenitors to generate all blood cells. PRDM16 is involved in human leukemic translocations and is expressed highly in some karyotypically normal acute myeloblastic leukemias. As many genes involved in leukemogenic fusions play a role in normal hematopoiesis, we analyzed the role of Prdm16 i...

Fetal liver and adult bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) renew or differentiate into committed progenitors to generate all blood cells. PRDM16 is involved in human leukemic translocations and is expressed highly in some karyotypically normal acute myeloblastic leukemias. As many genes involved in leukemogenic fusions play a role in normal hematopoiesis, we analyzed the role of Prdm16 i...

The PR-domain containing 16 (Prdm16) protein is a powerful inducer of the thermogenic phenotype in fat cells. In both developmental (brown) and induced (beige) thermogenic adipose tissue, Prdm16 has a critical role in maintaining proper tissue structure and function. It has roles throughout the course of differentiation, beginning with lineage determination activity in precursor cells, and cont...

Deletion 1p36 syndrome is recognized as the most common terminal deletion syndrome. Here, we describe the loss of a gene within the deletion that is responsible for the cardiomyopathy associated with monosomy 1p36, and we confirm its role in nonsyndromic left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). With our own data and publically available data from ar...

The PRDM [PRDI-BFI (positive regulatory domain I-binding factor 1) and RIZ1 (retinoblastoma protein-interacting zinc finger gene 1) homologous domain containing] protein family is involved in a spectrum of biological processes including cell fate determination and development. These proteins regulate transcription through intrinsic chromatin-modifying activity or by complexing with histone-modi...

The white adipose organ is composed of both subcutaneous and several intra-abdominal depots. Excess abdominal adiposity is a major risk factor for metabolic disease in rodents and humans, while expansion of subcutaneous fat does not carry the same risks. Brown adipose produces heat as a defense against hypothermia and obesity, and the appearance of brown-like adipocytes within white adipose tis...

Brown fat is a specialized tissue that can dissipate energy and counteract obesity through a pattern of gene expression that greatly increases mitochondrial content and uncoupled respiration. PRDM16 is a zinc-finger protein that controls brown fat determination by stimulating brown fat-selective gene expression, while suppressing the expression of genes selective for white fat cells. To determi...