Rex1/Zfp42 is dispensable for pluripotency in mouse ES cells.
BACKGROUND
Rex1/Zfp42 has been extensively used as a marker for the undifferentiated state of pluripotent stem cells. However, its function in pluripotent stem cells including embryonic stem (ES) cells remained unclear although its involvement in visceral endoderm differentiation in F9 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells was reported.


RESULTS
We showed the function of Rex1 in mouse ES cells as well as in embryos using the conventional gene targeting strategy. Our results clearly indicated that Rex1 function is dispensable for both the maintenance of pluripotency in ES cells and the development of embryos. However, Rex1-/- ES cells showed the defect to induce a subset of the marker genes of visceral endoderm, when differentiated as embryoid body, as found in EC cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Rex1 should be regarded just as a marker of pluripotency without functional significance like the activity of alkaline phosphatase.
Masui
Shinji
S
Laboratory for Pluripotent Cell Studies, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan. masui@ri.imcj.go.jp
Ohtsuka
Satoshi
S
Yagi
Rika
R
Takahashi
Kadue
K
Ko
Minoru S H
MS
Niwa
Hitoshi
H
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002678:Chimera; D017931:DNA Primers; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005838:Genotype; D015151:Immunoblotting; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
D015415:Biomarkers; D017931:DNA Primers; C513672:Zfp42 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors