Forced expression of Nanog in human bone marrow-derived endothelial cells activates other six pluripotent genes.
Human endothelial cells (ECs) have the ability to make up the lining of blood vessels. These cells are also capable of neovascularization and revascularization and have been applied in various clinical situations. With the aim of understanding the effect of NANOG superexpression on ECs, we transduced the Nanog gene into the ECs. Nanog is highly expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and is essential for pluripotency and self-renewal. However, Nanog can also be expressed in somatic stem cells, and this gene is related to great expansion capacity in vitro. We found that ECs expressing Nanog showed expression of other stemness genes, such as Sox2, FoxD3, Oct4, Klf4, c-myc, and β-catenin, that are not normally expressed or are expressed at very low levels in ECs. Nanog is one of the stemness genes that can activate other stemness genes, and the upregulation of the Nanog gene seems to be critical for reprogramming cells. In this study, the introduction of Nanog was sufficient to alter the expression of key genes of the pluripotent pathway. The functional importance of Nanog for altering the cell expression profile and morphology was clearly demonstrated by our results.
Center for Cell Therapy and Regional Blood Center, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. v.picanco@hemocentro.fmrp.usp.br
Virginia
V
Picanço-Castro
Elisa
E
Russo-Carbolante
Dimas Tadeu
DT
Covas
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D050437:Genes, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D000090062:Kruppel-Like Factor 4; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C000715467:KLF4 protein, human; D000090062:Kruppel-Like Factor 4; C486780:NANOG protein, human; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein