# Identifying Sox family transcription factor partners and targets essential for neural crest formation

> **NIH NIH F32** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $66,110

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Neurocristopathies are a class of syndromes that are predominately characterized by malformations in the
craniofacial complex. These defects are caused by aberrant development of the neural crest (NC), a stem cell
population unique to vertebrates. As a means of better understanding the molecular basis for
neurocristopathies, a thorough investigation of the various aspects of NC cell development is necessary. One
unique property of the NC is their broad developmental potential which grants them the ability to give rise to
cell types typically attributed to multiple germ layers (mesoderm and ectoderm). Previous work from my lab has
lead to the genesis of the hypothesis that the expanded embryonic potential of the NC can be attributed to the
retention of stem cell-like pluripotency in these cells. Still a major unanswered question is how NC cells retain
their stem cell-like potential even as neighboring cells undergo lineage restriction. Transcription factors often
direct cell fate decisions or maintain cell states. In this proposal, I investigate how Sox transcription factors may
regulate NC formation and their ability to maintain a stem cell-like state. SoxB1 factors, a subfamily of Sox
transcription factors, are expressed in early pluripotent cells of the embryo (blastula) and help to positively
regulate pluripotency in that tissue. In contrast, SoxE factors are absent from the blastula, but are robustly
expressed in the NC. Effectively, there is switch in the subfamily of Sox factors that is utilized in two temporally
distinct stem cell populations in the embryo. Recent work from my lab has shown that this transition from
SoxB1 to SoxE factors is essential for NC formation; however, we have yet to define the mechanisms by which
SoxE factors help to promote the formation of NC stem cells. In this proposal, I plan to utilize techniques such
as IP-mass spectrometry and ChIP-seq to identify potential transcriptional partners and targets of Sox factors
that are required for NC formation and controlling pluripotency in the blastula. Using these datasets and further
experimental validation of Sox partner and target candidates, I will identify key similarities and differences
between the SoxE and SoxB1 partners and targets in these stem cell populations. This will enhance our
understanding of the molecular underpinnings of NC formation and maintenance of stem cell potential.
Furthermore, these data will help us to understand why the formation of the NC was accompanied by a switch
in the utilization of Sox factor subfamilies.
!

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10019318
- **Project number:** 5F32DE029113-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth (Betsy) Schock
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $66,110
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2022-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10019318

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10019318, Identifying Sox family transcription factor partners and targets essential for neural crest formation (5F32DE029113-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10019318. Licensed CC0.

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