Serum response factor (SRF) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor that binds to a
DNA cis element known as the CArG box, which is found in the proximal regulatory regions
of over 200 experimentally validated target genes. Genetic deletion of SRF is incompatible
with life in a variety of animals from different phyla. In mice, loss of SRF throughout the early
embryo results in gastrulation defects precluding analyses in individual organ systems.
Genetic inactivation studies using conditional or inducible promoters directing the …