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Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal
Published on: May 30, 2012
Control of embryonic stem cell identity by nucleosome remodeling enzymes
Thomas G Fazzio1, Barbara Panning
1Program in Gene Function and Expression, University of Massachusetts Medical School, United States.
Abstract:
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells that can self-renew indefinitely or be induced to differentiate into multiple cell lineages, and thus have the potential to be used in regenerative medicine. Pluripotency transcription factors (TFs), such as Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog, function in a regulatory circuit that silences the expression of key TFs required for differentiation and activates the expression of genes important for maintenance of pluripotency. In addition, proteins that remodel chromatin structure also play important roles in determining the ES cell-specific gene expression pattern. Here we review recent studies demonstrating the roles of enzymes that carry out one facet of chromatin regulation, nucleosome remodeling, in control of ES cell self-renewal and differentiation.
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