The Drosophila zinc finger transcription factor CF2 is a myogenic marker downstream of MEF2 during muscle development

Abstract

The Drosophila C(2)-H(2)-type zinc-finger transcription factor CF2 has been shown to regulate follicular cell fate determination during oogenesis. Here we show that CF2 is also expressed in the developing muscles of the embryo where it first appears at stage 12 at the time of skeletal myoblast fusion. Later it is expressed in all muscle lineages including skeletal, visceral and cardiac. Epistatic analysis showed that CF2 expression is dependent on the myogenic factor MEF2.