title: Sox2(+) adult stem and progenitor cells are important for tissue regeneration and survival of mice.
abstract: The transcription factor Sox2 maintains the pluripotency of early embryonic cells and regulates the formation of several epithelia during fetal development. Whether Sox2 continues to play a role in adult tissues remains largely unknown. We show here that Sox2 marks adult cells in several epithelial tissues where its expression has not previously been characterized, including the stomach, cervix, anus, testes, lens, and multiple glands. Genetic lineage tracing and transplantation experiments demonstrate that Sox2-expressing cells continuously give rise to mature cell types within these tissues, documenting their self-renewal and differentiation potentials. Consistent with these findings, ablation of Sox2(+) cells in mice results in a disruption of epithelial tissue homeostasis and lethality. Developmental fate mapping reveals that Sox2(+) adult stem cells originate from fetal Sox2(+) tissue progenitors. Thus, our results identify Sox2 expression in numerous adult endodermal and ectodermal stem cell compartments, which are critical for normal tissue regeneration and survival.
authors: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors: Katrin
authors: K
authors: Arnold
authors: Abby
authors: A
authors: Sarkar
authors: Mary Anna
authors: MA
authors: Yram
authors: Jose M
authors: JM
authors: Polo
authors: Rod
authors: R
authors: Bronson
authors: Sumitra
authors: S
authors: Sengupta
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Seandel
authors: Niels
authors: N
authors: Geijsen
authors: Konrad
authors: K
authors: Hochedlinger
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000494:pharmacology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013270:Stomach / Q000166:cytology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; C527783:Sox2 protein, mouse; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D015774:Ganciclovir