Systematic Identification of Oct4 Transcriptional Targets in Embryonic Stem Cells Using the Auxin-Inducible Degron System and Nascent RNA Sequencing
Oct4 is a key transcription factor essential for maintaining pluripotency and self-renewal in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), where it activates pluripotency-related genes and represses differentiation-associated genes. While previous studies have identified Oct4 target genes using methods such as chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA interference (RNAi), these approaches may not fully capture direct transcriptional regulation. The auxin-inducible degron (AID) system, which enables rapid and reversible protein degradation, combined with nascent RNA sequencing, provides a refined method for identifying direct transcriptional targets by detecting immediate transcriptional changes and non-coding RNAs. In this study, we utilized mouse Oct4-mAID ESCs and nascent RNA sequencing with 5-ethynyl uridine (5-EU) labeling to systematically identify direct Oct4 targets. Our results uncovered novel potential Oct4 targets, providing a dataset for further research into the functions and regulatory networks of Oct4 and related transcription factors.