title: Characterization of human UTF1, a chromatin-associated protein with repressor activity expressed in pluripotent cells.
abstract: In mice, during early embryonic development UTF1 (undifferentiated embryonic cell transcription factor 1) is expressed in the inner cell mass of blastocysts and in adult animals expression is restricted to the gonads. (Embryonic) Cells expressing UTF1 are generally considered pluripotent, meaning they can differentiate into all cell types of the adult body. In mouse it was shown that UTF1 is tightly associated with chromatin and that it is required for proper differentiation of embryonic carcinoma and embryonic stem cells. In this study we functionally characterized the human UTF1 protein. We show with localization, subnuclear fractionation, and strip-FRAP analyses that human UTF1 is a tightly DNA-associated protein with transcriptional repressor activity. Our data identify human UTF1 as a pluripotency-associated chromatin component with core histone-like characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kooistra
authors.forename: Rajkumar P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Thummer
authors.forename: Bart J L
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Eggen
mesh_terms: D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C484738:UTF1 protein, human; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D004247:DNA