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Updated: Aug 22, 2025
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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
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Mcm2 promotes stem cell differentiation via its ability to bind H3-H4
Xiaowei Xu1,2,3,4, Xu Hua1,2,3,4, Kyle Brown5
1Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, United States.
Elife
|November 10, 2022
Summary
Minichromosome maintenance complex subunit 2 (Mcm2) is crucial for mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation. Defects in Mcm2
Area of Science:
- * Epigenetics and developmental biology.
- * Stem cell differentiation and chromatin regulation.
Background:
- * Minichromosome maintenance proteins 2-7 (Mcm2-7) complex is essential for DNA replication.
- * Mcm2 subunit possesses a histone-binding motif involved in parental histone transfer post-replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the role of Mcm2 in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation.
- * To elucidate the mechanism by which Mcm2 influences gene expression and chromatin accessibility during differentiation.
Main Methods:
- * Utilized Mcm2-2A mutant mouse ES cells defective in histone binding.
- * Analyzed gene silencing, lineage-specific gene induction, and Mcm2 binding at promoters.
- * Assessed Mcm2 interaction with histone chaperone Asf1a and chromatin accessibility at bivalent domains.
Main Results:
- * Mcm2 is vital for ES cell differentiation, impacting pluripotent gene silencing and lineage-specific gene induction.
- * Mcm2-2A mutation impairs histone binding, Asf1a interaction, and Mcm2 promoter recruitment.
- * Reduced Mcm2 binding at bivalent chromatin domains correlates with decreased chromatin accessibility.
Conclusions:
- * Mcm2 plays a novel role in ES cell differentiation beyond DNA replication.
- * Mcm2 regulates chromatin landscapes at bivalent domains, influencing differentiation.
- * Mcm2's histone-binding function is critical for proper ES cell differentiation dynamics.
Keywords:
Mcm2bivalent chromatin domainschromatin accessibilitychromosomesgene expressionmousemouse ES cell differentiationneural differentiationparental histone transferMore Related Videos
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