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Zinc-finger Nuclease Enhanced Gene Targeting in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: August 23, 2014
Zfp206 regulates ES cell gene expression and differentiation.
Wen Zhang1, Emily Walker, Owen J Tamplin
1Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, #4388 Medical Sciences Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
Nucleic Acids Research
|September 15, 2006
Summary
Zfp206, a transcription factor, promotes undifferentiated embryonic stem (ES) cell growth. It regulates genes crucial for early development and ES cell maintenance, impacting mammalian development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Gene Regulation
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Transcriptional regulation is key to mammalian development and embryonic stem (ES) cell properties.
- Zfp206, a SCAN-Zinc finger transcription factor, is reportedly expressed specifically in ES cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm Zfp206 expression in ES cells.
- To investigate the role of Zfp206 in ES cell differentiation and early development.
- To identify Zfp206-regulated genes.
Main Methods:
- Expression analysis in cultured mouse ES cells and embryos.
- Overexpression and depletion experiments in ES cells.
- Transcriptome analysis to identify regulated genes.
Main Results:
- ZFP206 expression is confirmed in ES cells and decreases upon differentiation.
- At least six ZFP206 transcript isoforms exist, with the longest being predominant.
- Zfp206 overexpression promotes undifferentiated ES cell clones.
- Zfp206 positively regulates a small set of ES cell-specific transcripts, including Zscan4, Thoc4, Tcstv1, and eIF-1A gene families.
Conclusions:
- Zfp206 is a regulator of ES cell differentiation.
- Zfp206 controls a set of genes expressed early in mammalian development.
- The identified Zfp206 target genes include transcription factors, RNA-binding proteins, and translation factors, suggesting a regulatory network in early development.
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