Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal
08:01

Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal

Published on: May 30, 2012

The miR-290-295 cluster promotes pluripotency maintenance by regulating cell cycle phase distribution in mouse

Zsuzsanna Lichner1, Emoke Páll, Andrea Kerekes

  • 1Agricultural Biotechnology Center, H-2100, Szent-Györgyi A, Str. 4, Gödöllő, Hungary.

Differentiation; Research in Biological Diversity
|September 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) from the miR-290-295 cluster prevent early differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). These miRNAs maintain high proliferation and regulate cell cycle distribution, crucial for pluripotency.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Stem Cell Biology

Background:

  • The mmu-miR-290-295 cluster encodes microRNAs (miRNAs) crucial for early embryogenesis.
  • These miRNAs are specifically expressed in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and embryonic carcinoma cells (ECCs).
  • The cluster evolved through duplication of the ancient miR-290 precursor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of miR-290-295 miRNAs in maintaining ESC pluripotency and proliferation.
  • To determine the impact of miR-290-295 overexpression on ESC differentiation and cell cycle progression.
  • To identify potential targets of miR-290-295 in regulating these processes.

Main Methods:

  • Sequence analysis and alignment of miR-290-295 precursors.
  • Overexpression of miR-290-295 miRNAs in ESCs under serum starvation.
  • Transcriptome analysis to assess differentiation marker gene expression.
  • Cell cycle analysis to evaluate phase distribution.
  • In vitro assays to identify direct miRNA targets.

Main Results:

  • Overexpression of miR-290-295 miRNAs prevented ESC differentiation and maintained alkaline phosphatase activity.
  • Differentiation-related marker genes were underexpressed in cells with high miR-290-295 levels.
  • miR-290-295 overexpression prevented G1 phase accumulation under low serum conditions, suggesting cell cycle regulation.
  • Wee1 and Fbxl5 were identified as potential direct targets of miR-290-295.
  • The miRNAs primarily influence cell cycle phase distribution.

Conclusions:

  • miR-290-295 miRNAs are essential for maintaining ESC pluripotency by inhibiting differentiation.
  • These miRNAs play a significant role in regulating ESC cell cycle progression, contributing to the absence of the G1 checkpoint.
  • The findings highlight miR-290-295 as key regulators of ESC self-renewal and cell cycle dynamics.

More Related Videos

An Alternative Culture Method to Maintain Genomic Hypomethylation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Using MEK Inhibitor PD0325901 and Vitamin C11:53

An Alternative Culture Method to Maintain Genomic Hypomethylation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Using MEK Inhibitor PD0325901 and Vitamin C

Published on: June 1, 2018

A Simple Method to Identify Kinases That Regulate Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency by High-throughput Inhibitor Screening07:18

A Simple Method to Identify Kinases That Regulate Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency by High-throughput Inhibitor Screening

Published on: May 12, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Maintenance of the ES Cell State01:14

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis02:15

M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis

Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
Combinatorial Gene Control02:33

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...