title: CBARA1 plays a role in stemness and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are capable of unlimited self-renewal and can generate almost all of the cells in the body. Although some pluripotency factors have been identified, much remains unclear regarding the molecules and mechanisms that regulate hESC self-renewal and pluripotency. In this study, we identified a mitochondrial gene, CBARA1, that is expressed in undifferentiated hESCs and that is down-regulated rapidly after cellular differentiation. To study its role in hESCs, endogenous CBARA1 expression was knocked down using shRNA. CBARA1 knockdown in hESCs resulted in down-regulation of Oct4 and Nanog expression, attenuated cell growth, and G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest; however, knockdown did not noticeably affect apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that CBARA1 is a marker for undifferentiated hESCs that plays a role in maintaining stemness, cell cycle progression, and proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tissue Regeneration Product Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Technology and Device Research, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan. k.chen@itri.org.tw
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lih-Tao
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Cheng-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shiun-Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hui-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wannhsin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C116241:MICU1 protein, human; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; C486780:NANOG protein, human; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering