Geminin promotes an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in an embryonic stem cell model of gastrulation

Geminin is a nuclear protein that performs the related functions of modulating cell cycle progression by binding Cdt1, and controlling differentiation by binding transcription factors. Since embryonic stem cells (ESC) and the epiblast share a similar gene expression profile and an attenuated cell cycle, ESC form an accessible and tractable model system to study lineage choice at gastrulation. We derived several ESC lines in which Geminin can be inducibly expressed, and employed short hairpin RNAs targeting Geminin. As in the embryo, a lack of Geminin protein resulted in DNA damage and cell death. In monolayer culture, in defined medium, Geminin supported neural differentiation; however, in three-dimensional culture, overexpression of Geminin promoted mesendodermal differentiation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In vitro, ESC overexpressing Geminin rapidly recolonized a wound, downregulated E-cadherin expression, and activated Wnt signaling. We suggest that Geminin may promote differentiation via binding Groucho/TLE proteins and upregulating canonical Wnt signaling.