Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Protocol for the Direct Conversion of Murine Embryonic Fibroblasts into Trophoblast Stem Cells
Published on: July 25, 2016
The Gag protein PEG10 binds to RNA and regulates trophoblast stem cell lineage specification
Mona Abed1, Erik Verschueren2, Hanna Budayeva2
1Physiological Chemistry Department, Genentech, South San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Abstract:
Peg10 (paternally expressed gene 10) is an imprinted gene that is essential for placental development. It is thought to derive from a Ty3-gyspy LTR (long terminal repeat) retrotransposon and retains Gag and Pol-like domains. Here we show that the Gag domain of PEG10 can promote vesicle budding similar to the HIV p24 Gag protein. Expressed in a subset of mouse endocrine organs in addition to the placenta, PEG10 was identified as a substrate of the deubiquitinating enzyme USP9X. Consistent with PEG10 having a critical role in placental development, PEG10-deficient trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) exhibited impaired differentiation into placental lineages. PEG10 expressed in wild-type, differentiating TSCs was bound to many cellular RNAs including Hbegf (Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor), which is known to play an important role in placentation. Expression of Hbegf was reduced in PEG10-deficient TSCs suggesting that PEG10 might bind to and stabilize RNAs that are critical for normal placental development.
Related Concept Videos
Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators
Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators
Regulated Protein Degradation
Protein degradation plays two important roles in the cells. It helps to protect cells from misfolded or damaged proteins before they lead to a...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....
Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

