Effect of Twist2 knockdown on the transcriptional profile of differentiating 3T3-L1 cells

TWIST2 is a transcription factor heavily involved in proper development. We queried the role of TWIST2 in 3T3-L1 adipogenesis by silencing gene expression using a lentiviral-delivered shRNA and performed RNA-seq at various time points following initiation of differentiation. We found that previously identified TWIST2-target genes increase in transcription, suggesting that TWIST2 acts as a transcriptional repressor in this system. RNA was harvested from 3T3-L1 cells at 0, 1, 2, or 4 hours differentiation. Differentiation was induced by addition of 0.25 U/mL Insulin, 250 nM dexamethasone, and 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine.