BioProject

E2F transcriptional activators and repressors regulate cell cycle-dependent gene expression. More...

E2F transcriptional activators and repressors regulate cell cycle-dependent gene expression. Using a series of E2f loss- and gain-of-function mice we show that development is relatively insensitive to alterations in individual E2F levels and composition. However, modest increases in E2F transcriptional output (E2f7Δ/Δ;E2f8Δ/Δ, E2f1KI/1KI and E2f3bKI/3bKI) resulted in spontaneous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without additional organ involvement, whereas decreases (E2f1-/- and E2f3b-/-) protected against HCC. DNA binding domain-, cell type- and temporal-specific gene ablation strategies defined a cell autonomous oncogenic role for E2F1/3B and a tumor suppressor role for E2F8 in hepatocytes during early post-natal liver development. Chromatin binding and expression profiling revealed a mechanism involving activation by E2F1/3B and repression by E2F7/8 to antagonistically regulate a common set of target genes associated with HCC progression. Thus, while development is sufficiently robust to withstand changes in E2F composition and activity, the liver is uniquely sensitive to perturbations in E2Fs. In summary, precise E2F transcriptional output in hepatocytes during early adolescence is critical to foster a cancer-free life span. Overall design: Transcriptomes of four E2F7/8 DKO liver tumors, four Wt livers and four E2F7/8 DKO livers Less...