Dennis R Warner, Robert M Greene and Michele Pisano
PRDM16 is a member of the PRDM family of transcription co-regulators characterized by a PR domain (positive regulatory domain) that is similar to the SET domain found in lysine histone methyltransferases. Most PRDM proteins also contain one or more zinc finger domains that can confer direct DNA binding, in addition to other domains that mediate binding to additional transcription factors and cofactors. PRDM16 was originally identified from studies of (1;3)(p36;q21)-positive leukaemia’s but has subsequently been implicated in several developmental processes, including differentiation of muscle cell precursors into brown adipocyte fat cells. Such differentiation, regulated in part by the enzyme tyrosine-protein kinase-2 (Tyk2), has gained recent attention as a means to reduce obesity via manipulating the production of TYK2 and/or PRDM16. In addition, PRDM16 is also involved in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and craniofacial development. This review focuses on our current understanding of the role of PRDM16 in each of these processes and highlights some of the challenges for future studies.
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