title: The POU-er of gene nomenclature.
abstract: The pluripotency factor POU5F1 (OCT4) is well known as a key regulator of stem cell fate. Homologues of POU5F1 exist throughout vertebrates, but the evolutionary and functional relationships between the various family members have been unclear. The level to which function has been conserved within this family provides insight into the evolution of early embryonic potency. Here, we seek to clarify the relationship between POU5F1 homologues in the vertebrate lineage, both phylogenetically and functionally. We resolve the confusion over the identity of the zebrafish gene, which was originally named pou2, then changed to pou5f1 and again, more recently, to pou5f3. We argue that the use of correct nomenclature is crucial when discussing the degree to which the networks regulating early embryonic differentiation are conserved.
authors: Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia srfr@unimelb.edu.au joshua.brickman@sund.ku.dk.
authors: Stephen R
authors: SR
authors: Frankenberg
authors: Department of Biochemistry, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel.
authors: Dale
authors: D
authors: Frank
authors: University of California Berkeley, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, 142 Life Sciences Addition # 3200, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Harland
authors: School of life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
authors: Andrew D
authors: AD
authors: Johnson
authors: Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Nichols
authors: Laboratory for Pluripotent Stem Cell Studies, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 6500047, Japan.
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Niwa
authors: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Röntgenstraße 20, Münster 48149, Germany.
authors: Hans R
authors: HR
authors: Schöler
authors: DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies - CRTD, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 105, Dresden 01307, Germany.
authors: Elly
authors: E
authors: Tanaka
authors: Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45227, USA.
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Wylie
authors: The Danish Stem Cell Centre (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, Copenhagen N DK-2200, Denmark srfr@unimelb.edu.au joshua.brickman@sund.ku.dk.
authors: Joshua M
authors: JM
authors: Brickman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014714:Vertebrates; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C085437:Pou5f3 protein, zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins