THAP1 is a master regulator of zinc finger transcription factors guiding gastrulation of murine embryos [RNA-seq_mESC]

Gastrulation and early organogenesis are remarkable processes of early embryonic development. Our previous study showed that deletion of DYT6 gene product THAP1 leads to embryonic lethality at the stage of gastrulation and early organogenesis. However, the function of THAP1 in regulating gene expression, as well as its role in regulating embryo gastrulation and early organogenesis are not well characterized. In this study, we used different in vitro and in vivo models to characterize the function of THAP1 in regulating gene expression and in controlling embryonic development, which could help us to understand pathogenesis of THAP1-associated disorders and provide data to characterize the transcription regulation of gastrulation of murine embryo. THAP1, ZFP764, ZFP524, and Zscan10 knock-out mESCs were generated and RNA-seq was performed to analyze gene expression changes in each cell line.