{"doi":"10.1002/jcb.20959","title":"Transcription factor RFX2 is abundant in rat testis and enriched in nuclei of primary spermatocytes where it appears to be required for transcription of the testis‐specific histone <i>H1t</i> gene","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Previous work in our laboratory revealed upregulated transcription of the testis‐specific linker histone <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene in pachytene primary spermatocytes during spermatogenesis. Using the H1t X‐box as an affinity chromatography probe, we identified Regulatory Factor X2 (RFX2), a member of the RFX family of transcription factors, as a nuclear protein that binds the probe. We also showed that RFX2 activated the H1t promoter in transient expression assays. However, other RFX family members have the same DNA‐binding domain and they also may regulate <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene expression. Therefore, in this study we examined the distribution of RFX2 and other RFX family members in rat testis germinal cells and in several tissues. Among tissues examined, RFX2 is most abundant in testis. Testis RFX2 is most abundant in spermatocytes where transcription of the <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene is upregulated and the steady‐state H1t mRNA level is high. RFX2 levels decrease but RFX1 levels increase in early spermatids where <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene transcription is downregulated. Antibodies against RFX2 generate a shifted band in electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using H1t or testisin X‐box DNA probes with nuclear proteins from spermatocytes. These data support the hypothesis that RFX2 expression is upregulated in spermatocytes where it participates in activating transcription of the <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene and other testis genes. These data also support the possibility that other RFX family members may bind to the H1t promoter in other testis germinal cell types and in nongerminal cells to downregulate <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene transcription. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 735–746, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.</jats:p>","journal":"Journal of Cellular Biochemistry","year":2006,"id":588330,"datarank":0.9357190063444716,"base_score":2.9444389791664403,"endowment":2.9444389791664403,"self_citation_contribution":0.44166584687496613,"citation_network_contribution":0.4940531594695055,"self_endowment_contribution":0.44166584687496613,"citer_contribution":0.4940531594695055,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":18,"citer_count":16,"citers_with_citation_signal":13,"citers_with_endowment":13,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1505138,"name":"Jane van Wert","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1505139,"name":"Sidney R. Grimes","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1505137,"name":"Steven A. Wolfe","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Transcription factor RFX2 is abundant in rat testis and enriched in nuclei of primary spermatocytes where it appears to be required for transcription of the testis‐specific histone <i>H1t</i> gene","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Previous work in our laboratory revealed upregulated transcription of the testis‐specific linker histone <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene in pachytene primary spermatocytes during spermatogenesis. Using the H1t X‐box as an affinity chromatography probe, we identified Regulatory Factor X2 (RFX2), a member of the RFX family of transcription factors, as a nuclear protein that binds the probe. We also showed that RFX2 activated the H1t promoter in transient expression assays. However, other RFX family members have the same DNA‐binding domain and they also may regulate <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene expression. Therefore, in this study we examined the distribution of RFX2 and other RFX family members in rat testis germinal cells and in several tissues. Among tissues examined, RFX2 is most abundant in testis. Testis RFX2 is most abundant in spermatocytes where transcription of the <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene is upregulated and the steady‐state H1t mRNA level is high. RFX2 levels decrease but RFX1 levels increase in early spermatids where <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene transcription is downregulated. Antibodies against RFX2 generate a shifted band in electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using H1t or testisin X‐box DNA probes with nuclear proteins from spermatocytes. These data support the hypothesis that RFX2 expression is upregulated in spermatocytes where it participates in activating transcription of the <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene and other testis genes. These data also support the possibility that other RFX family members may bind to the H1t promoter in other testis germinal cell types and in nongerminal cells to downregulate <jats:italic>H1t</jats:italic> gene transcription. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 735–746, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.</jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":2.9444389791664403,"endowment":2.9444389791664403,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"16676351","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W2131237091","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":2.4023,"citation_percentile":0.8829883,"influential_citations":2,"citation_trend":[{"year":2015,"count":1},{"year":2016,"count":2},{"year":2017,"count":1},{"year":2018,"count":1},{"year":2023,"count":1},{"year":2024,"count":1},{"year":2026,"count":1}],"oa_status":"closed","license":"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjcb.20959","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jcb.20959","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.20959","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16676351","host_type":"repository"}],"fields_of_study":["Sperm and Testicular Function","Renal and related cancers","Epigenetics and DNA Methylation","Biology","Medicine","Animals","Cell Nucleus","DNA-Binding Proteins","Gene Expression Regulation","Histones","Male","Promoter Regions, Genetic","RNA, Messenger","Rats","Regulatory Factor X Transcription Factors","Regulatory Factor X1","Spermatocytes","Testis","Tissue Distribution","Transcription Factors","Transcription, Genetic"],"mesh_terms":["Regulatory Factor X Transcription Factors","Regulatory Factor X1","Animals","Cell Nucleus","DNA-Binding Proteins","Gene Expression Regulation","Histones","Male","Promoter Regions, Genetic","RNA, Messenger","Spermatocytes","Testis","Tissue Distribution","Transcription Factors","Transcription, Genetic","Rats"],"keywords":["TCF4","Molecular biology","E-box","Sp3 transcription factor","Promoter","TAF2","Biology","Transcription factor","Transcription (linguistics)","Gene expression","General transcription factor","Sp1 transcription factor","Response element","Activating transcription factor 2","Regulation of gene expression","Gene","Genetics"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-07-20T09:20:52.952004Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}