The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma/retinoid X receptor alpha heterodimer targets the histone modification enzyme PR-Set7/Setd8 gene and regulates adipogenesis through a positive feedback loop.

Control of cell differentiation occurs through transcriptional mechanisms and through epigenetic modification. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation-on-chip approach, we performed a genome-wide search for target genes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) and its partner protein retinoid X receptor alpha during adipogenesis. We show that these two receptors target several genes that encode histone lysine methyltransferase SET domain proteins.