Effect of BMP activation and TGF-β inhibition on osteoblast-specific gene expression in CFP1-deficient cells
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Citation
Abstract
CFP1 (CXXC Finger Protein 1) is a key regulator of DNA and histone modifications, which plays an important role in gene expression. Loss of CFP1 blunts the expression of osteoblast-specific genes, impairing osteoblast differentiation. With advanced epigenetic techniques, it is possible to have a better understanding of the unknown regulatory mechanisms controlled by CFP1 in bone. This thesis focused on whether activation of BMP signaling or inhibition of TGF-β signaling rescues gene expression in CFP1 knockout cells, thereby investigating at what level and how CFP1 regulates osteoblast differentiation. MC3T3 cell line was used in this thesis to represent the early stage of osteoblast differentiation. Gene and protein expression were analyzed using RT-qPCR and Western blot quantification, respectively. Results showed that BMP2 activation with serum deprivation increased slightly osteogenic genes in the CFP1 deficient state. However, BMP2 activation, TGF-β inhibition, or their combination failed to fully restored gene expression to control levels. In the other word, CFP1 plays a crucial role in osteoblast differentiation, and its absence cannot be compensated for by modulating BMP or TGF-β signaling. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the role of CFP1 in osteoblast differentiation regulation.
Description
2025
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International