Mouse Homologue of the Schizophrenia Susceptibility GeneZNF804Aas a Target of Hoxc8

Abstract

Using a ChIP-cloning technique, we identified a Zinc finger protein 804a (Zfp804a) as one of the putative Hoxc8 downstream target genes. We confirmed binding of Hoxc8 to an intronic region ofZfp804aby ChIP-PCR in F9 cells as well as in mouse embryos. Hoxc8 upregulatedZfp804amRNA levels and augmented minimal promoter activity in vitro. In E11.5 mouse embryos,Zfp804aandHoxc8were coexpressed. Recent genome-wide studies identifiedZfp804a(orZNF804Ain humans) as a plausible marker for schizophrenia, leading us to hypothesize that this embryogenic regulatory control might also exert influence in development of complex traits such as psychosis.