6 research outputs found
NRSF: A Coordinate Repressor of Neuron-Specific Genes Expressed in CNS Neural Progenitor Cells
We have isolated cDNA clones encoding a novel zinc finger protein that silences
neuron-specific gene expression, called the neuron-restrictive silencer factor
(NRSF). NRSF binds a DNA sequence element called the neuron-restrictive silencer
element (NRSE) that functions to repress neuronal genes in non-neuronal
cells. Consensus NRSEs have been identified in at least 17 neuron-specific genes.
Cloned NRSF can bind to multiple NRSEs and represses transcription in an
NRSE-dependent manner. Expression of NRSF mRNA is detected in most nonneuronal
tissues at several developmental stages. In the nervous system, NRSF
mRNA is expressed in undifferentiated CNS neural progenitors but not in mature
neurons. NRSF represents the first example of a vertebrate silencer protein that
coordinately regulates a battery of cell type-specific genes. During development,
NRSF may function as a master negative regulator of neuronal determination or
differentiation in CNS stem cells