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Mouse embryonic stem cells resist c-Jun induced differentiation when in suspension

Bo Wang1,2,3,4, Dongwei Li1,2,5,6,4, Jiekai Chen1,2,5,4

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China.

Cell Regeneration (London, England)
|January 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The oncogene c-Jun influences mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) fate differently in suspension versus adherent cultures. Induced c-Jun expression causes cell cycle arrest in suspension but promotes differentiation when cells adhere.

Area of Science:

  • Stem cell biology
  • Molecular oncology
  • Cell fate determination

Background:

  • The oncogene c-Jun is crucial in development and cancer.
  • Its precise role in stem cell fate decisions is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms of c-Jun's role in mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) fate.
  • To determine how cell culture conditions (adhesion vs. suspension) affect c-Jun's impact on mESCs.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a Tet-on system for inducible c-Jun expression in mESCs using doxycycline.
  • Cultured mESCs in suspension and adherent conditions with induced c-Jun expression.
  • Analyzed cell pluripotency, proliferation, cell cycle status, and differentiation markers.

Main Results:

  • Induced c-Jun expression maintained mESC pluripotency and slowed growth in suspension.
  • Adherent mESCs with induced c-Jun underwent differentiation with normal proliferation.
  • c-Jun induced G1/S cell cycle arrest in suspension by upregulating CDKN1A/B and CDKN2A/B/C.

Conclusions:

  • mESCs exhibit distinct responses to c-Jun overexpression based on their culture environment (suspension vs. adhesion).
  • Cells in suspension appear more resistant to differentiation than adherent cells.
  • c-Jun's context-dependent role highlights the importance of microenvironment in cell fate decisions.
Keywords:
DifferentiationSuspensionc-JunmESCs

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