Stem cell pluripotency and transcription factor Oct4

• Published in: Cell research Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 321 - 330
• Main Authors: PAN, Guang Jin, CHANG, Zeng Yi, SCHÖLER, Hans R., PEI, Duanqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.12.2002; Nature Publishing Group; Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Departments of Pharmacology and Biological Sciences ＆ Biotechnology, Schools of Sciences and Medicine,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China%Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Biology, University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center, 382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA%Departments of Pharmacology and Biological Sciences ＆ Biotechnology, Schools of Sciences and Medicine,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Cell Lineage - genetics; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - genetics; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - metabolism; Cloning; Cloning, Organism - methods; Cloning, Organism - trends; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - genetics; Humans; Life Sciences; Octamer Transcription Factor-3; Pluripotent Stem Cells - cytology; Pluripotent Stem Cells - metabolism; review; Scientists; Stem cells; Totipotent Stem Cells - cytology; Totipotent Stem Cells - metabolism; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; 全能性; 干细胞; 蛋白因子; totipotency; Oct4; stem cells; ES cells; pluripotency; cloning
• ISSN: 1001-0602; 1748-7838
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.cr.7290134

Mammalian cell totipotency is a subject that has fascinated scientists for generations. A long lasting question whether some of the somatic cells retains totipotency was answered by the cloning of Dolly at the end of the 20th century. The dawn of the 218t has brought forward great expectations in harnessing the power of totipotentcy in medicine. Through stem cell biology, it is possible to generate any parts of the human body by stem cell engineering. Considerable resources will be devoted to harness the untapped potentials of stem cells in the foreseeable future which may transform medicine as we know today. At the molecular level, totipotency has been linked to a singular transcription factor and its expression appears to define whether a cell should be totipotent. Named Oct4, it can activate or repress the expression of various genes. Curiously, very little is known about Oct4 beyond its ability to regulate gene expression. The mechanism by which Oct4 specifies totipotency remains entirely unresolved. In this review, we summarizere the structure and function of Oct4 and address to Oct4 function in maintaining totipotency or pluripotency of embryonic stem cels.