title: AICAR sustains J1 mouse embryonic stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency by regulating transcription factor and epigenetic modulator expression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  [corrected] Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) have the capacity to propagate indefinitely, maintain pluripotency, and differentiate into any cell type under defined conditions. As a result, they are considered to be the best model system for research into early embryonic development. AICA ribonucleotide (AICAR) is an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that is thought to affect ES cell function, but its role in ES cell fate decision is unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we performed microarray analysis to investigate AICAR downstream targets and further understand its effect on ES cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our microarray data demonstrated that AICAR can significantly up-regulate pluripotency-associated genes and down-regulate differentiation-associated transcription factors. Although AICAR cannot maintain ES cell identity without LIF, it can antagonize the action of RA-induced differentiation. Using those differentially expressed genes identified, we performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis with the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online system. AICAR was not only shown to influence the AMPK pathway, but also act on other signaling pathways such as BMP, MAPK and TGF-β, to maintain the stemness of J1 ES cells. Furthermore, AICAR modulated ES cell epigenetic modification by altering the expression of epigenetic-associated proteins, including Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, Smarca2, Mbd3, and Arid1a, or through regulating the transcription of long intervening non-coding RNA (lincRNA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, our work suggests that AICAR is capable of maintaining ES cell self-renewal and pluripotency, which could be useful in future medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yongyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Zhiying
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Zekun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000620:Aminoimidazole Carboxamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012265:Ribonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012265:Ribonucleotides; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000620:Aminoimidazole Carboxamide; C031143:AICA ribonucleotide