Cell fate during development is defined by transcription factors that act as molecular switches to activate or repress specific gene expression programmes. The POU transcription factor Oct-3/4 (encoded by Pou5f1) is a candidate regulator in pluripotent and germline cells and is essential for the initial formation of a pluripotent founder cell population in the mammalian embryo. Here we use conditional expression and repression in embryonic stem (ES) cells to determine requirements for Oct-3/4 in the maintenance of developmental potency. Although transcriptional determination has usually been considered as a binary on-off control system, we found that the precise level of Oct-3/4 governs three distinct fates of ES cells. A less than twofold increase in expression causes differentiation into primitive endoderm and mesoderm. In contrast, repression of Oct-3/4 induces loss of pluripotency and dedifferentiation to trophectoderm. Thus a critical amount of Oct-3/4 is required to sustain stem-cell self-renewal, and up- or downregulation induce divergent developmental programmes. Our findings establish a role for Oct-3/4 as a master regulator of pluripotency that controls lineage commitment and illustrate the sophistication of critical transcriptional regulators and the consequent importance of quantitative analyses.

Quantitative expression of Oct-3/4 defines differentiation, dedifferentiation or self-renewal of ES cells.

http://web.mit.edu/7.31/restricted/pdfs/F05_and_earlier/Nichols.pdf

Formation of Pluripotent Stem Cells in the Mammalian Embryo Depends on the POU Transcription Factor Oct4

Human and mouse embryonic stem cells (HESCs and MESCs, respectively) self-renew indefinitely while maintaining the ability to generate all three germ-layer derivatives. Despite the importance of ESCs in developmental biology and their potential impact on tissue replacement therapy, the molecular mechanism underlying ESC self-renewal is poorly understood. Here we show that activation of the canonical Wnt pathway is sufficient to maintain self-renewal of both HESCs and MESCs. Although Stat-3 signaling is involved in MESC self-renewal, stimulation of this pathway does not support self-renewal of HESCs. Instead we find that Wnt pathway activation by 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO), a specific pharmacological inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), maintains the undifferentiated phenotype in both types of ESCs and sustains expression of the pluripotent state-specific transcription factors Oct-3/4, Rex-1 and Nanog. Wnt signaling is endogenously activated in undifferentiated MESCs and is downregulated upon differentiation. In addition, BIO-mediated Wnt activation is functionally reversible, as withdrawal of the compound leads to normal multidifferentiation programs in both HESCs and MESCs. These results suggest that the use of GSK-3-specific inhibitors such as BIO may have practical applications in regenerative medicine.

Maintenance of pluripotency in human and mouse embryonic stem cells through activation of Wnt signaling by a pharmacological GSK-3-specific inhibitor

The p53 protein regulates the transcription of many different genes in response to a wide variety of stress signals. Following DNA damage, p53 regulates key processes, including DNA repair, cell-cycle arrest, senescence and apoptosis, in order to suppress cancer. This Analysis article provides an overview of the current knowledge of p53-regulated genes in these pathways and others, and the mechanisms of their regulation. In addition, we present the most comprehensive list so far of human p53-regulated genes and their experimentally validated, functional binding sites that confer p53 regulation.

Transcriptional control of human p53-regulated genes

Muscarinic receptors--characterization, coupling and function.

The murine oct-3 gene encodes a transcription factor containing a POU-specific domain and a homeodomain. In marked contrast to other homeodomain-encoding genes,oct-3 is expressed in the totipotent and pluripotent stem cells of the pre-gastrulation embryo and is down-regulated during differentiation to endoderm and mesoderm, suggesting that it has a role in early development. The oct-3 gene is also expressed in primordial germ cells and in the female germ line.

A POU-domain transcription factor in early stem cells and germ cells of the mammalian embryo.

We have examined the post-translational processing of G alpha subunits expressed endogenously in rat PC12 and NG108-15 rat/mouse hybrid cells, and after transfection of cDNA expression constructs into COS cells. Thioester-linked palmitoylation of alpha o, alpha s, alpha q/alpha 11 and alpha 12 has been detected by metabolic labelling with [3H]palmitate and immunoprecipitation. Palmitoylation of alpha o occurs post-translationally in cells treated with protein-synthesis inhibitors, suggesting possible dynamic acylation. Palmitoylation of the C-terminal CAAX motif has been excluded. Site-directed mutagenesis of alpha o has been used to implicate the site of modification as a cysteine residue next to the N-terminal myristoylated glycine, in a novel protein-lipid modification motif Met-Gly-Cys. The non-palmitoylated alpha o mutant is still myristoylated but shows reduced membrane binding, suggesting that reversible palmitoylation may regulate G alpha localization and function.

A novel N-terminal motif for palmitoylation of G-protein alpha subunits.

Metastases have been widely thought to arise from rare, selected, mutation-bearing cells in the primary tumor. Recently, however, it has been proposed that breast tumors are imprinted ab initio with metastatic ability. Thus, there is a debate over whether 'phenotypic' disease progression is really associated with 'molecular' progression. We profiled 26 matched primary breast tumors and lymph node metastases and identified 270 probesets that could discriminate between the two categories. We then used an independent cohort of breast tumors (81 samples) and unmatched distant metastases (32 samples) to validate and refine this list down to a 126-probeset list. A representative subset of these genes was subjected to analysis by in situ hybridization, on a third independent cohort (57 primary breast tumors and matched lymph node metastases). This not only confirmed the expression profile data, but also allowed us to establish the cellular origin of the signals. One-third of the analysed representative genes (4 of 11) were expressed by the epithelial component. The four epithelial genes alone were able to discriminate primary breast tumors from their metastases. Finally, engineered alterations in the expression of two of the epithelial genes (SERPINB5 and LTF) modified cell motility in vitro, in accordance with a possible causal role in metastasis. Our results show that breast cancer metastases are molecularly distinct from their primary tumors.

Breast cancer metastases are molecularly distinct from their primary tumors.

Excitatory amino acid neurotoxicity at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in cultured neurons: pharmacological characterization.

The antimuscarinic properties of the newly synthetized polymethylene tetramine derivative, methoctramine, were investigated in binding and functional assays. Methoctramine displaced the specific binding of [3H]-N-methylscopolamine [( 3H]NMS) and [3H] pirenzepine from membranes of rat tissues with the following order of affinities: heart = cerebellum greater than cortex greater than submandibular glands, the ratio of the affinities of the compound for the heart and the glands amounting to about 130. Computer fits of binding curves generated in cardiac and cortical membranes were compatible with an interaction at one binding site, whereas those in submandibular glands and cerebellum had slopes significantly lower than 1. Experiments performed in cardiac membranes to investigate the effect of methoctramine on the dissociation kinetics of [3H]-NMS showed that concentrations of compound up to 1 microM did not affect the dissociation of [3H]-NMS elicited by an excess of NMS. At greater concentrations (10-100 microM), methoctramine dose dependently inhibited [3H]-NMS dissociation, thus revealing an allosteric interaction. In in vitro functional assays, methoctramine displayed more than 100 times greater affinity for the muscarinic receptors mediating negative inotropic and chronotropic effects in guinea pig atria than for those responsible for tracheal contraction. Similarly, the compound was a more potent antagonist of the bradycardial response to bethanechol than of the bladder tonus increase, saliva secretion and hypotension induced by the muscarinic agonist in anesthetized cats. Finally, in the pithed rat, methoctramine preferentially inhibited cardiac M2 (vagal bradycardia) over ganglionic M1 (McN-A-343-induced hypertension) responses. The evidence appears to characterize methoctramine as being the most selective M2 muscarinic antagonist described to date.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

M A Viganò

Papers

A POU-domain transcription factor in early stem cells and germ cells of the mammalian embryo.

A novel N-terminal motif for palmitoylation of G-protein alpha subunits.

Breast cancer metastases are molecularly distinct from their primary tumors.

Excitatory amino acid neurotoxicity at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in cultured neurons: pharmacological characterization.

Binding and functional characterization of the cardioselective muscarinic antagonist methoctramine.