[Effect of nicotine on Oct-4 transcription of embryonic stem cells].
To clarify whether nicotine affected the early embryo development, the paper investigated the influence of nicotine on embryonic stem (ES) cells specific gene Oct-4.


METHODS
ES cells were treated with nicotine (1-1000 nM) and/or 10 microM tubocurarine (a usual nicotinic acetylcholine receptors [nAChRs] blocker) for 24 h. Subsequently, they were purified to discard feeder cells and total RNA was isolated. Fgf-5 was amplified to detect the purification of ES cells, and the relative expression of Oct-4 and beta-actin to GAPDH was analyzed with RT-PCR.


RESULTS
RT-PCR analysis illustrated that nicotine (10-1000 nM) significantly enhanced Oct-4 transcription, while had no effect on beta-actin transcription; meanwhile, compared with nicotine (100 nM and 1000 nM) treatment alone, tubocurarine inhibited Oct-4 transcription evidently.


CONCLUSIONS
It is reasonable to assume that nicotine could influence the development and differentiation of ES cells, and impinge on the early embryo development.
Zhang
Huaping
H
Division of Parasitology, Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Guo
Dongxing
D
Zhao
Yangxing
Y
Wang
Lianyun
L
Qia
Zhongdong
Z
D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity*; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D014403:Tubocurarine / Q000494:pharmacology
D000199:Actins; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D009538:Nicotine; D014403:Tubocurarine