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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
Published on: June 15, 2017
Effects of Akt signaling on nuclear reprogramming
Toshinobu Nakamura1, Kimiko Inoue, Shoko Ogawa
1Graduate School of Frontier Bioscience, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Abstract:
Reprogramming of the epigenetic state from differentiated to pluripotent cells can be attained by cell fusion of differentiated somatic cells with embryonic stem (ES) cells or transfer of the nucleus of a differentiated cell into an enucleated oocyte. Activation of Akt signaling is sufficient to maintain pluripotency of ES cells and promotes derivation of embryonic germ (EG) cells from primordial germ cells (PGCs). Here we analyzed the effects of Akt signaling on somatic cell nuclear reprogramming after cell fusion and nuclear transfer. We found that forced activation of Akt signaling stimulated reprogramming after cell fusion of ES cells with thymocytes or mouse embryonic fibroblasts. These hybrid cells showed ES cell characteristics, including in vitro and in vivo differentiation capacity. In contrast, Akt signaling significantly reduced the efficiency of reprogramming with nuclear transfer. Our results demonstrate that Akt signaling plays important roles on the nuclear reprogramming of somatic cells.
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