title: The miR-302-367 cluster as a potential stemness regulator in ESCs.
abstract: Increasing experimental evidence suggests an important role of miRNAs in embryonic stem cell (ESC) biology. The miR-302-367 cluster is exclusively expressed at high levels in ESCs but not in either somatic stem cells or adult/embryonic differentiated cells. The human miR-302-367 gene structure has been recently described and its promoter has been identified, characterized and functionally validated in human stem cells. The miR-302-367 promoter activity depends on the ontogeny and hierarchical cellular stage. The miR-302-367 promoter is transcriptionally regulated by the ESC-specific transcription factors Oct3/4, Sox2 and Nanog and, its activity restricted to the ESC compartment. Functionally, this cluster regulates cell cycle in ESCs promoting self-renewal and pluripotency, therefore representing a master regulator in the maintenance of hESC stemness. We envision this data may open up new avenues to investigate the transcriptional regulators upstream miR-302-367 cluster and to dissect the complex interplay by which this miR-302-367 cluster integrates in the molecular network conferring pluripotency to ESCs. In this perspective, we summarize recent progress in the genomic and functional characterization of the miR-302-367 cluster and discuss its potential as a stemness determinant.
authors.affiliation: Andalusian Stem Cell Bank, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Consejería de Salud, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barroso-del Jesus
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucena-Aguilar
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menendez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs