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The DLX2-LAP2α axis licenses ectomesenchymal specification by unlocking chromatin barriers for craniofacial regeneration [RNA-seq]

GSE297346 Mus musculus (mouse) RNA-seq (gene expression) 18 samples Submitted 2025/12/08 Platform GPL24247
At a glance

RNA-seq (gene expression) · mouse · 18 samples

What it is
RNA-seq (gene expression)Gene activity measured by sequencing. The summary does not mention single-cell work, so this is most likely bulk: one average per sample, the usual starting point for comparing groups.
Organism
Mus musculus (mouse)
Samples
18 samples: 9 conditions, mostly in duplicateGroups are read from the sample names, not from the paper. Check the list below.
Data you can get
A processed table (series matrix) and supplementary files from NCBI; the raw sequencing reads from ENA. Which of these hold counts depends on the study, so check the file list.
Paper
DLX2 acts as a pioneer factor and drives Msx1(+) ectomesenchyme formation from embryonic stem cellsScience advances · 2026
Summary (written by the submitters)
The ectomesenchyme generates much of the craniofacial skeleton, sutures, and diverse connective tissues in the mammalian head, yet its derivation from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and the underlying molecular drivers remain poorly defined. Here, we identified Dlx2 as a key regulator that efficiently directed murine ESCs towards Msx1+ ectomesenchyme, recapitulating the developmental trajectory.
Read the full summary ↓
These Msx1+ progenitors expressed classical craniofacial markers and retained robust osteochondral bipotency in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, DLX2 utilized a lamina-associated polypeptide 2 (LAP2)-dependent nuclear chaperoning system, engaging LAP2α via a 38-amino-acid homeodomain motif to interact with nucleosomes, thereby opening chromatin and activating a craniofacial ectomesenchymal gene network. Disrupting DLX2-LAP2α interaction or silencing Dlx2 targets largely diminished ectomesenchymal differentiation. Our findings established DLX2 as a pioneer factor in ectomesenchyme specification, offering insights into craniofacial development and stem cell engineering.
Published in
DLX2 acts as a pioneer factor and drives Msx1(+) ectomesenchyme formation from embryonic stem cells
Zhang Z, Xu Z, Hu H et al. · Science advances 2026 · PMID 41533791 · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aea0685
This dataset
Download · which file do I need?

Direct links to NCBI and ENA, no account and no request form. Pick by what you want to do: take the small processed table to look, the supplementary files to re-analyse, or the original raw data to start over.

1 · Just have a look

Processed table

The series matrix: one table of values per sample as the submitters processed it. The smallest download, and it opens in Excel or R. Start here to see what the data look like.

2 · Re-analyse it

Supplementary files

The count tables and other files the authors uploaded. Take only the samples you need, or the whole study as GSE297346_RAW.tar (it can run to tens of gigabytes).

3 · Start from the raw reads

Raw sequencing reads

The original FASTQ files, straight from the sequencer, held at ENA. Large, and you align them yourself, so only choose this if you need to re-process the study from scratch.

What the files usually look like: For RNA-seq the counts are usually a table among the supplementary files (look for 'counts', 'expression', 'FPKM' or 'TPM' in the file name). The series matrix of a sequencing study is sometimes nearly empty.

Also filed as BioProject PRJNA1259432 and SRA study SRP585134. Searching any of these in the dataset finder brings you back here.

Study design
9 conditions, mostly in duplicate
D8_Msx1 ×2 D8_Msx1+ ×2 D16_Msx1 ×2 D16_Msx1+ ×2 ES ×2 Dlx2+dox ×2 Dlx2-dox ×2 GFP+dox ×2 +1 more

Supports a between-group comparison across 18 samples.

How we read this: 9 replicated groups read from 18 sample titles; they account for 18 of them. These groups are guessed from the sample names, not taken from the paper, so check them against the sample list below before relying on them.

Samples in this study
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Metadata from NCBI GEO, cached and refreshed periodically — the NCBI page above is authoritative. Downloads link straight to NCBI/ENA; nothing is proxied through BioTransfer.