Next Generation Sequencing Identifies Hoxa1 and Hoxc13 as Downstream Targets of Yap in Mouse Epithelial Tissues

The goals of this study are to identify in vivo downstream targets of Yap through NGS-derived tooth germ transcriptome profiling. The mRNA profiles of wild-type, Yap conditional knockout (CKO) and YAP transgenic (Tg) mouse tooth germs at embryonic day 14.5 were generated by deep sequencing using Illumina Hiseq2000. The sequence reads that passed quality filters were analyzed at the transcript isoform level via DNAnexus. The validation was performed through qRT–PCR and in situ hybrydization. A set of Hox genes were differentially expression in Yap CKO and YAP Tg mouse tooth germs, demonstating concurrent expression changes with Yap transcripts. This study provides a platform to systematically identify in vivo downstream targets of genes of interest. Overall design: The mRNA profiles of wild type, Yap CKO and YAP Tg mouse tooth germs at embryonic day 14.5 were generated by deep sequencing using Illumina Hiseq.