title: Systematic localization of Oct-3/4 to the gastrulating mouse conceptus suggests manifold roles in mammalian development.
abstract: Oct-3/4 was localized to the mouse conceptus between the onset of gastrulation and 16-somite pairs (-s; approximately 6.5-9.25 days postcoitum, dpc). Results revealed Oct-3/4 in a continuum of morphologically distinct epiblast-derived embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. In the allantois, distal-to-proximal diminution in the Oct-3/4 domain over time and co-localization with Flk-1 in angioblasts accorded with a role in vascular differentiation and the presence of a stem cell reservoir. In addition, visceral endoderm exhibited a dynamic salt-and-pepper distribution, which, combined with previous results of fate mapping and gene expression, suggested that Oct-3/4 is involved in the genesis of definitive endoderm. By 8-s, Oct-3/4 was globally down regulated in all but putative primordial germ cells (PGCs) and some allantoic cell clusters. Taken together, Oct-3/4's expression profile suggests unexpected and potentially far more versatile roles in development than have been previously appreciated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. kdowns@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Downs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3