TY - JOUR
T1 - CrxOS maintains the self-renewal capacity of murine embryonic stem cells
AU - Saito, Ryota
AU - Yamasaki, Tokiwa
AU - Nagai, Yoko
AU - Wu, Jinzhan
AU - Kajiho, Hiroaki
AU - Yokoi, Tadashi
AU - Noda, Eiichiro
AU - Nishina, Sachiko
AU - Niwa, Hitoshi
AU - Azuma, Noriyuki
AU - Katada, Toshiaki
AU - Nishina, Hiroshi
PY - 2009/12/25
Y1 - 2009/12/25
N2 - Embryonic stem (ES) cells maintain pluripotency by self-renewal. Several homeoproteins, including Oct3/4 and Nanog, are known to be key factors in maintaining the self-renewal capacity of ES cells. However, other genes required for the mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. Here we report the identification by in silico analysis of a homeobox-containing gene, CrxOS, that is specifically expressed in murine ES cells and is essential for their self-renewal. ES cells mainly express the short isoform of endogenous CrxOS. Using a polyoma-based episomal expression system, we demonstrate that overexpression of the CrxOS short isoform is sufficient for maintaining the undifferentiated morphology of ES cells and stimulating their proliferation. Finally, using RNA interference, we show that CrxOS is essential for the self-renewal of ES cells, and provisionally identify foxD3 as a downstream target gene of CrxOS. To our knowledge, ours is the first delineation of the physiological role of CrxOS in ES cells.
AB - Embryonic stem (ES) cells maintain pluripotency by self-renewal. Several homeoproteins, including Oct3/4 and Nanog, are known to be key factors in maintaining the self-renewal capacity of ES cells. However, other genes required for the mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. Here we report the identification by in silico analysis of a homeobox-containing gene, CrxOS, that is specifically expressed in murine ES cells and is essential for their self-renewal. ES cells mainly express the short isoform of endogenous CrxOS. Using a polyoma-based episomal expression system, we demonstrate that overexpression of the CrxOS short isoform is sufficient for maintaining the undifferentiated morphology of ES cells and stimulating their proliferation. Finally, using RNA interference, we show that CrxOS is essential for the self-renewal of ES cells, and provisionally identify foxD3 as a downstream target gene of CrxOS. To our knowledge, ours is the first delineation of the physiological role of CrxOS in ES cells.
KW - CrxOS
KW - Embryonic stem cell
KW - Homeoprotein
KW - In silico
KW - Self-renewal
KW - foxD3
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70450270661&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70450270661&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.09.118
DO - 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.09.118
M3 - Article
C2 - 19800316
AN - SCOPUS:70450270661
VL - 390
SP - 1129
EP - 1135
JO - Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
JF - Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
SN - 0006-291X
IS - 4
ER -