C9ORF135 encodes a membrane protein whose expression is related to pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a unique population of cells defined by their capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency. Here, we identified a previously uncharacterized gene in hESCs, C9ORF135, which is sharply downregulated during gastrulation and gametogenesis, along with the pluripotency factors OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG. Human ESCs express two C9ORF135 isoforms, the longer of which encodes a membrane-associated protein, as determined by immunostaining and western blotting of fractionated cell lysates. Moreover, the results of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), mass spectrometry (MS), and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) analyses demonstrated that C9ORF135 expression is regulated by OCT4 and SOX2 and that C9ORF135 interacts with non-muscle myosin IIA and myosin IIB. Collectively, these data indicated that C9ORF135 encodes a membrane-associated protein that may serve as a surface marker for undifferentiated hESCs.