Genome-wide analysis of ETS factor ER71/ETV2 chromatin occupancy

We discover that ER71/ETV2 initiates hemangiogenic program by activating blood and endothelial cell lineage specifying genes while enhancing FLK1 expression and expanding hemangioblast population. Furthermore, ER71/ETV2 establishes an ETS hierarchy by directly activating Ets genes in hematopoietic and endothelial cell lineage development. As such, ER71/ETV2-initiated blood and endothelial cell program is maintained by ER71/ETV2 downstream ETS factors through an ETS switching mechanism.