Genes and Diseases (Jan 2022)

SATB2: A versatile transcriptional regulator of craniofacial and skeleton development, neurogenesis and tumorigenesis, and its applications in regenerative medicine

  • Xia Huang,
  • Qiuman Chen,
  • Wenping Luo,
  • Mikhail Pakvasa,
  • Yuxin Zhang,
  • Liwen Zheng,
  • Shuang Li,
  • Zhuohui Yang,
  • Huan Zeng,
  • Fang Liang,
  • Fugui Zhang,
  • Daniel A. Hu,
  • Kevin H. Qin,
  • Eric J. Wang,
  • David S. Qin,
  • Russell R. Reid,
  • Tong-Chuan He,
  • Aravind Athiviraham,
  • Mostafa El Dafrawy,
  • Hongmei Zhang

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 95 – 107

Abstract

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SATB2 (special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2) is a member of the special AT-rich binding protein family. As a transcription regulator, SATB2 mainly integrates higher-order chromatin organization. SATB2 expression appears to be tissue- and stage-specific, and is governed by several cellular signaling molecules and mediators. Expressed in branchial arches and osteoblast-lineage cells, SATB2 plays a significant role in craniofacial pattern and skeleton development. In addition to regulating osteogenic differentiation, SATB2 also displays versatile functions in neural development and cancer progression. As an osteoinductive factor, SATB2 holds great promise in improving bone regeneration toward bone defect repair. In this review, we have summarized our current understanding of the physiological and pathological functions of SATB2 in craniofacial and skeleton development, neurogenesis, tumorigenesis and regenerative medicine.

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