Serum response factor (SRF)-mediated transcription contributes to developmental and adult brain plasticity. Therefore, we investigated the role of a newly identified SRF coactivator, MKL1, in the regulation of SRF-driven transcription in rat forebrain neurons. MKL1 expression was found in newborn rat cortical or hippocampal neurons in culture as well as in adult rat forebrain. Immunostaining de...

BACKGROUND The transcription factors Elk1 and serum response factor (SRF) are central regulators of cell cycle and phenotype in various cell types. Elk1 is activated by phosphorylation (serine-383), while activation of SRF requires its co-factor, myocardin. Activation of Elk1 and SRF results in binding to specific DNA sequences in promoter regions, and may be induced by adrenergic receptor acti...

Signal-induced activation of the transcription factor SRF (Serum Response Factor) requires alterations in actin dynamics. SRF activity can be inhibited by ectopic expression of β-actin, either because actin itself participates in SRF regulation or as a consequence of cytoskeletal perturbations. To distinguish between these possibilities, we studied actin mutants. Three mutant actins, G13R, R62D...

BACKGROUND Serum response factor (SRF) is an important transcription factor in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Since CRPC is associated with androgen receptor (AR) hypersensitivity, we investigated the relationship between SRF and AR. MATERIALS AND METHODS Transcriptional activity was assessed by luciferase assay. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT and flow cytometry. Protein e...

Signal-induced activation of the transcription factor serum response factor (SRF) requires alterations in actin dynamics. SRF activity can be inhibited by ectopic expression of beta-actin, either because actin itself participates in SRF regulation or as a consequence of cytoskeletal perturbations. To distinguish between these possibilities, we studied actin mutants. Three mutant actins, G13R, R...

The activity of serum response factor (SRF), an essential transcription factor in mouse gastrulation, is regulated by changes in actin dynamics. Using Srf(-/-) embryonic stem (ES) cells, we demonstrate that SRF deficiency causes impairments in ES cell spreading, adhesion, and migration. These defects correlate with defective formation of cytoskeletal structures, namely actin stress fibers and f...

Serum response factor (SRF) is a single copy, highly conserved transcription factor that governs the expression of hundreds of genes involved with actin cytoskeletal organization, cellular growth and signaling, neuronal circuitry and muscle differentiation. Zebrafish have emerged as a facile and inexpensive vertebrate model to delineate gene expression, regulation, and function, and yet the stu...

Adhesion properties of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow (BM) niches control their migration and affect their cell-cycle dynamics. The serum response factor (Srf) regulates growth factor–inducible genes and genes controlling cytoskeleton structures involved in cell spreading, adhesion, and migration. We identified a role for Srf in HSC adhesion and steady-state hematopoiesis. C...

Serum response factor (SRF) is a master transcription factor of the actin cytoskeleton that binds to highly conserved CArG boxes located within the majority of smooth muscle cell (SMC)-restricted promoters/enhancers. Although most studies of SRF focus on skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and vascular SMCs, SRF research has recently expanded into the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Genome scale ana...

The growth of axons is an intricately regulated process involving intracellular signaling cascades and gene transcription. We had previously shown that the stimulus-dependent transcription factor, serum response factor (SRF), plays a critical role in regulating axon growth in the mammalian brain. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying SRF-dependent axon growth remains unknown. Here we rep...