title: Oct-4 controls cell-cycle progression of embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Mouse and human ES (embryonic stem) cells display unusual proliferative properties and can produce pluripotent stem cells indefinitely. Both processes might be important for maintaining the 'stemness' of ES cells; however, little is known about how the cell-cycle fate is regulated in ES cells. Oct-4, a master switch of pluripotency, plays an important role in maintaining the pluripotent state of ES cells and may prevent the expression of genes activated during differentiation. Using ZHBTc4 ES cells, we have investigated the effect of Oct-4 on ES cell-cycle control, and we found that Oct-4 down-regulation in ES cells inhibits proliferation by blocking cell-cycle progression in G0/G1. Deletion analysis of the functional domains of Oct-4 indicates that the overall integrity of the Oct-4 functional domains is important for the stimulation of S-phase entry. We also show in the present study that the p21 gene is a target for Oct-4 repression. Furthermore, p21 protein levels were repressed by Oct-4 and were induced by the down-regulation of Oct-4 in ZHBTc4 ES cells. Therefore the down-regulation of p21 by Oct-4 may contribute to the maintenance of ES cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jungwoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yeorim
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Go
authors.forename: Inyoung
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Yong-Mahn
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jungho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3