title: Germline regulatory element of Oct-4 specific for the totipotent cycle of embryonal cells.
abstract: The totipotent stem cells of the pregastrulation mouse embryo which give rise to all embryonic somatic tissues and germ cells express Oct-4. The expression is downregulated during gastrulation and is thereafter only maintained in the germline lineage. Oct-4/lacZ transgenes were used to determine how this pattern of expression was achieved, and resulted in the identification of two separate regulatory elements. The distal element drives Oct-4 expression in preimplantation embryos, in migratory and postmigratory primordial germ cells but is inactive in cells of the epiblast. In cell lines this element is specifically active in embryonic stem and embryonic germ cells. The proximal element directs the epiblast-specific expression pattern, including downregulation during gastrulation; in cell lines its activity is restricted to epiblast-derived cells. Thus, Oct-4 expression in the germline is regulated separately from epiblast expression. This provides the first marker for the identification of totipotent cells in the embryo, and suggests that expression of Oct-4 in the totipotent cycle is dependent on a set of factors unique to the germline.
authors.affiliation: Gene Expression Programme, EMBL, Heidelberg, FRG.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Yeom
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fuhrmann
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ovitt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brehm
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohbo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hübner
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Schöler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005260:Female; D005775:Gastrula / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013234:Stem Cells; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494174:Pou5f1 protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors