Smarcd3 proteins are part of a chromatin-remodeling complex made up of DNA and proteins that make up chromosomes. It is a transcriptional protein, which means it is important for initiating, in this case, development.

The UO researchers found that muscle formation begins in an embryo's mesoderm when Smarcd3 interacts correctly with two other transcription-factors known as Fgf and Ntl. This specific time-sensitive alignment, the researchers noted, works to trigger the earliest gene expression involved in myogenesis.

Previous research had suggested the requirement of several additional transcription proteins, but the UO team was able to sort through many of the combinations and narrow the field to these three factors. The findings could eventually allow researchers to understand how various combinations of proteins in the chromatin act to regulate the development of different cell types, tissues and organs.

Co-authors with Westerfield of the JBC paper were two former research associates in Westerfield's lab: Haruki Ochia, who recently left the UO for the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, and Stefan Hans, who now is at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Links: Westerfield's faculty page: http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/ionmain/htdocs/faculty/westerf.html; Westerfield lab: http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/westerf/lab.html; department of biology: http://biology.uoregon.edu; Institute of Neuroscience: http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/