title: Chondroitin sulfate is indispensable for pluripotency and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycans are present on the surfaces of virtually all cells and in the extracellular matrix and are required for cytokinesis at early developmental stages. Studies have shown that heparan sulfate (HS) is essential for maintaining mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that are primed for differentiation, whereas the function of CS has not yet been elucidated. To clarify the role of CS, we generated glucuronyltransferase-I-knockout ESCs lacking CS. We found that CS was required to maintain the pluripotency of ESCs and promoted initial ESC commitment to differentiation compared with HS. In addition, CS-A and CS-E polysaccharides, but not CS-C polysaccharides, bound to E-cadherin and enhanced ESC differentiation. Multiple-lineage differentiation was inhibited in chondroitinase ABC-digested wild-type ESCs. Collectively, these results suggest that CS is a novel determinant in controlling the functional integrity of ESCs via binding to E-cadherin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Izumikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Ban
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D011134:Polysaccharides; C111364:galactosylgalactoylxylosylprotein 3-beta-glucuronosyltransferase